Axolotl

For other uses, see Axolotl (disambiguation).

Axolotl
In the National Aquarium in Washington, D.C.
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Urodela
Family: Ambystomatidae
Genus: Ambystoma
Species:
A. mexicanum
Binomial name
Ambystoma mexicanum
(Shaw and Nodder, 1798)
Map
IUCN range of the axolotl.
  Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)
Synonyms[3]
  • Gyrinus mexicanus Shaw and Nodder, 1798
  • Siren pisciformis Shaw, 1802
  • Siredon axolotl Wagler, 1830
  • Axolotes guttata Owen, 1844
  • Siredon Humboldtii Duméril, Bibron, and Duméril, 1854
  • Amblystoma weismanni Wiedersheim, 1879
  • Siredon edule Dugès, 1888

The axolotl (/ˈæksəlɒtəl/ ⓘ; from Classical Nahuatl: āxōlōtl [aːˈʃoːloːtɬ] ⓘ) (Ambystoma mexicanum)[3] is a paedomorphic salamander closely related to the tiger salamander.[3][4][5] It is unusual among amphibians in that it reaches adulthood without undergoing metamorphosis. Instead of taking to the land, adults remain aquatic and gilled. The species was originally found in several lakes underlying what is now Mexico City, such as Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco.[1] These lakes were drained by Spanish settlers after the conquest of the Aztec Empire, leading to the destruction of much of the axolotl's natural habitat.

As of 2020, the axolotl was near extinction[6][7] due to urbanization in Mexico City and consequent water pollution, as well as the introduction of invasive species such as tilapia and perch. It is listed as critically endangered in the wild, with a decreasing population of around 50 to 1,000 adult individuals, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and is listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).[2] Axolotls are used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate limbs, gills and parts of their eyes and brains.[8] Notably, their ability to regenerate declines with age, but it does not disappear. Axolotls keep modestly growing throughout their life and some consider this trait to be a direct contributor to their regenerative abilities.[9] Further research has been conducted to examine their heart as a model of human single ventricle and excessive trabeculation.[10] Axolotls were also sold as food in Mexican markets and were a staple in the Aztec diet.[11]

Axolotls may be confused with the larval stage of the closely related tiger salamander (A. tigrinum), which are widespread in much of North America and occasionally become paedomorphic, or with mudpuppies (Necturus spp.), fully aquatic salamanders from a different family that are not closely related to the axolotl but bear a superficial resemblance.[12]

  1. ^ a b IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2020). "Ambystoma mexicanum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T1095A53947343. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T1095A53947343.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Frost was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Mexican Walking Fish, Axolotls Ambystoma mexicanum" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 March 2018.
  5. ^ "Axolotols (Walking Fish)". Aquarium Online. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-12.
  6. ^ Matt Walker (2009-08-26). "Axolotl verges on wild extinction". BBC. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  7. ^ PetAquariums.com (22 April 2020). "Are Axolotls Endangered? You Need To Be Careful…". PetAquariums.com. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  8. ^ Weird Creatures with Nick Baker (Television series). Dartmoor, England, UK: The Science Channel. 2009-11-11. Event occurs at 00:25.
  9. ^ Sandoval-Guzmán, Tatiana (August 2023). "The axolotl". Nature Methods. 20 (8): 1117–1119. doi:10.1038/s41592-023-01961-5. ISSN 1548-7091. PMID 37553398. S2CID 260699417.
  10. ^ Meyer, Sophie; Lauridsen, Henrik; Pedersen, Kathrine; Andersson, Sofie Amalie; van Ooij, Pim; Willems, Tineke; Berger, Rolf M. F.; Ebels, Tjark; Jensen, Bjarke (2022-11-28). "Opportunities and short-comings of the axolotl salamander heart as a model system of human single ventricle and excessive trabeculation". Scientific Reports. 12 (1): 20491. Bibcode:2022NatSR..1220491M. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-24442-9. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 9705478. PMID 36443330.
  11. ^ Tickell, Sofia Castello Y. (30 October 2012). "Mythic Salamander Faces Crucial Test: Survival in the Wild". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  12. ^ Malacinski, George M. (Spring 1978). "The Mexican Axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum: Its Biology and Developmental Genetics, and Its Autonomous Cell-Lethal Genes". American Zoologist. 18 (2): 195–206. doi:10.1093/icb/18.2.195.