Hey curious kids!
Have you ever wondered what it might be like to never grow up? Well, some animals don’t have to. The axolotl is a salamander that never outgrows their larval stage – making them look kind of like a tadpole for their entire lives.
The life of an Axolotl
The axolotl is an amphibian, which means they start out as eggs and hatch into their little bodies underwater. Unlike other amphibians like frogs and toads, which outgrow this phase allowing them to live in and out of the water, the axolotl remains an aquatic animal. This aquatic animal can be recognised by the external gills that allow them to breathe underwater even after they develop functional lungs. The axolotl’s mouth always looks like it’s smiling which earned
it the nickname “the smiling salamander”. A few weeks after they are born the axolotl grows legs but keeps its tail and body fin, which help it to move around the lake
How do I spot them?
Most wild axolotls are either brown or tan with gold speckles which helps them blend in, but they can come in a few different colours. Albino axolotls are a pale pink or white with red eyes while leucistic axolotls are a pale pink colour with dark or black eyes. This pale pink/white colour is the most popular to keep as pets and people have begun to breed this colour specifically. Axolotls also have special pigment cells in their skin which can help them change colours to hide from predators. Xanthophore
cells have a yellowish gold colour and melanophore cells are dark grey or black, though they are incredibly rare. Sadly, for Minecraft fans out there, axolotls cannot naturally be blue. This colour can only be achieved through selective breeding and genetic mutation.
Do they ever get bigger?
While the axolotl never outgrows its larval stage, they do get bigger. Adult axolotls can grow up to 45cm long but mostly only grow to be around 23cm long. That’s smaller than a ruler! These amphibians are small and incredibly light weighing between 56 to 227 grams in their entire life. They have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years. The axolotl naturally has very few predators but the introduction of large fish and birds into their habitat creates a threat to them. The axolotl has also been over-collected to be used for food or medicine. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has listed the axolotl as
critically endangered. In the wild there are only around an estimated 50 to 1000 axolotls left! This is due to urbanisation, pollution and the destruction of their habitat. In Mexico, work has been done to save the axolotls from extinction by building shelters in Lake Xochimilco. These shelters help filter in clean water for the species as well as protect them from predators.
Did you have fun learning about these smiling amphibians? Get yourself a Supernova Vol 8.3 and learn all about them.
Happy reading and stay curious kids.
