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Adopt an Axolotl

These unique amphibians are endangered. But experts have come up with a way for you to help them survive. 

April 1, 2024
By Andrew Dobrich

As You Read, Think About: Why are axolotls important to researchers?

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They look like real-life Pokémon and are the stars of countless videos on TikTok and Instagram. You may have encountered mobs of them in Minecraft. In Mexico, their native country, these celebrity salamanders even appear on money. Axolotls (AK-suh-lah-tuhlz) seem to be nearly everywhere. 

But one place where axolotls are hard to find is their natural habitat. Despite their popularity, these amphibians are nearly extinct. Because of habitat loss, pollution, and predators, wild axolotls are now fighting for survival.

Scientists who are working to keep these unique creatures from dying out are counting on the public for support. People around the world can virtually adopt an axolotl. Though you can’t bring your new pet home, you may help save its life.

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Wild axolotls are usually dark colors.

A Home in Danger

Axolotls are known for their feathery gills and their faces that appear to be smiling. Unlike other salamanders, axolotls keep their youthful features as they grow older. Thanks to their “aww” factor, they have become a popular choice as pets.

Axolotls are more than just cute faces, though. When they get hurt, they can regenerate limbs, organs, and even parts of their brains. Scientists around the world are studying axolotls in laboratories to better understand this superpower.

They’re also racing to save axolotls in the wild. Scientists from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) are focusing on a district called Xochimilco (soh-chee-MEEL-koh). Located near Mexico City, its canals are the only place where axolotls still live in the wild. 

Xochimilco used to be home to one of several lakes where axolotls thrived. But over the past few centuries, the ecosystem has undergone big changes. Lakes were drained to reduce flooding. As Mexico City’s population boomed in the 1900s, the remaining waterways became polluted. Builders drained and paved over much of the wetlands to make way for roads and buildings. And the government stocked the canals with fish, including carp and tilapia, as a food source for the area’s growing population. But the fish feasted on axolotl eggs. These salamanders are now critically endangered. Fewer than 1,000 of them are left in the wild. 

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Workers help clean canals in Xochimilco in Mexico, the only habitat of wild axolotls. 

A Virtual Solution

The UNAM team is working with local farmers to create refuges for axolotls. For centuries, farmers have tended floating farms, called chinampas, that provide food and shelter for axolotls. At the ends of canals between chinampas, researchers have installed mesh gates that keep out predators. The gates contain native plants that help filter pollution from the water. The goal is to one day reintroduce captive axolotls to the canals.

To help pay for this work, UNAM uses donations from its virtual Adopt an Axolotl program. People get to choose an axolotl and name it, and they receive a certificate with their pet’s photo. 

Diana Laura Vázquez Mendoza heads the program. She hopes the public’s fascination with axolotls will help save the species.

“Axolotls are in danger of extinction,” Vázquez Mendoza says. “But you can do something.” 

Axolotls and the Aztecs

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Aztec people settled in what is now central Mexico in the 13th century. Their empire thrived until 1521. In Aztec mythology, Xolotl was the god of lightning and fire. He had the head of a dog. The Aztecs believed Xolotl turned himself into an axolotl to escape being sacrificed but was caught. The Aztec people believed axolotls carried his spirit.

1. Why have axolotls become popular pet choices in recent years?

2. What does the article describe as an axolotl “superpower”?

3. How does the virtual adoption program help axolotls?

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