Introduction

    What are axolotls? 

    Well axolotls are cool amphibians because they can regrow important body parts, not just arms and legs, but even parts of their hearts, brains, and lungs! 

    I love these cute little creatures and you can too, so keep reading.

Regrowing Limbs 

     Axolotls can repair a damaged or injured limb by regrowing it.  Axolotls are a type of salamander, and like other salamanders axolotls can regrow hands, feet, and even tails.

    But axolotls are different from other salamanders because they are able to grow even more body parts. They can regrow their heart, nervous system, brains, lungs, and even the tissues of their eyes.

   Imagine if humans could do that! In fact, axolotls are an important animal for doctors to study so they can learn more about how to repair damaged body parts in humans.

Reproducing

     When axolotls mate they do something that looks a lot like a dance. They usually reproduce once per year in a breeding season between March and June.

   Axolotl's breeding ways are different depending on if they are in the wild or captivity. In the wild, Axolotl eggs sink to the bed of the lake or river, and they hatch after about two weeks. One female axolotl can lay between 300 and 1,000 eggs in a single breeding season.

Where Do Axolotls Live?

     Did you know that the population of axolotls in the wild is very small, with only an estimated 50 to 1000 adult axolotls remaining wild in the world?

      They are considered a critically endangered species, and it is very likely that they will become extinct in the wild. 

    Wild axolotls are only found in the freshwater lake around Mexico City, Lake Xochimilco. This is the ONLY place on Earth where axolotls live naturally in the wild, and their population is decreasing.

    While axolotls are disappearing from their home in the wild, there is a large captive population of axolotls in the world.

     Many axolotls live in aquariums and zoos around the world, and they have also become a popular exotic pet living in many people's homes.

     Many axolotls are also kept for scientific research into cell regeneration because of the axolotls remarkable ability to regrow body parts.

Why Are Axolotls Endangered? 

     The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies that axolotls are "critically endangered." This means that the number of axolotls in the wild is getting smaller and smaller. A lot of factors have contributed to the sharp decline in the wild axolotl population in recent years, and it really has been a steep decrease. 

     One problem is that the huge development of Mexico City has caused a lot of water pollution in Lake Xochimilco. The water is toxic, and many plants and aquatic animals are dying.

    Axolotls have also been overfished because they are an exotic food and an exotic pet.

    Finally, the loss of habitat is a huge reason why axolotls have become critically endangered. There used to be five connected lakes around Lake Xochimilco, but over the years the water has been drained to control flooding and create more land and space for the growing population of Mexico City. 

     The Xochimilco canals are the only parts remaining from the five lakes, and those canals have become dangerously polluted.

Danger from Predators

   Axolotls have lots of predators, mostly birds that take them from the water. Also, fish such as perch and tilapia have invaded the axolotl's natural habitat. These invasive species have also caused the population of axolotls in the wild to greatly decrease.

What Do Axolotls Eat?

    You may be wondering how axolotls eat. Well, they actually have a very good suction power to crush and devour their prey. Axolotls love to munch through lots of things like worms, mollusks, small fish, and insects they pick from the water.  

    Axolotls will even suck up gravel to help grind down the food in their stomach since their teeth can't chew food!

Gills and Lungs

     Axolotls are one of the few creatures to use both gills and lungs to breath, but they mostly rely on their gills. They have feathery gills on each side of their head.

    Having both gills and lungs means that axolotls can breathe on both land and in water. Axolotls, like all amphibians, can also absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide through their skin.

Conclusion

     In conclusion, axolotls are cool because they actually have a body part on the side of their head which acts as their lungs. They also have a very cool suction power that they use to eat, but they have no teeth to use so they suck up rocks to crush up their food,

     They are a very unique and interesting creature. They are kind of like salamanders because they can regrow limbs, and they are important to humans because they are studied for regeneration medicine and used for cancer studies. 

   Despite all the cool facts I learned about axolotls, their story is really sad! They are in critical danger of going extinct because of pollution and the loss of their habitat. 

    Not long ago, in 1998 there were 6,000 axolotls per square kilometer in the Xochimilco Lake complex in 1998. Today there are just 35 axolotls per square kilometer, and that number keeps shrinking. Sadly, axolotls are disappearing from the world.