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MyFirstLearningTV - Toddler learning Videos

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10 Amazing Axolotl Facts for Kids | Fun and Fascinating Facts About Axolotls! #axolotl #axolotllove

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11 Axolotl Facts You Need To Know - AMAZING UNKNOWN AXOLOTL SECRETS REVEALED!!!

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Axolotls (pronounced ACK-suh-LAH-tuhls) are salamanders! Thes amphibians spend their whole lives underwater. They exist in the wild in only one place on Earth—the lake complex of Xochimilco (pronounced SO-chee-MILL-koh), a network of artificial channels, small lakes, and temporary wetlands that help supply water to the millions of residents in nearby Mexico City. Axolotls have long fascinated scientists for their ability to regenerate lost body parts and for their rare trait of neoteny, which means they retain larval features throughout life. Rather than undergoing typical metamorphosis, axolotls keep their youthful appearance, including their tadpolelike dorsal fin and feathery external gills that fan out from the head. As they age, axolotls simply get bigger and bigger, like amphibious Peter Pans. In rare cases, axolotls have matured past the larval stage and emerged onto land as adult salamanders. Neoteny doesn’t affect the axolotl’s ability to breed. Females mate with males and lay eggs underwater. As Mexico City has grown, the lake complex has shrunk and parts have become contaminated, distressing the axolotl population. The introduction of large numbers of carp and tilapia fish, which compete with axolotls for food and also eat axolotl eggs, has further lowered their population. A 2009 survey suggests there are fewer than 1,200 axolotls in the Xochimilco Lake complex. Axolotls feast on a menu of mollusks, worms, insect larvae, crustaceans, and some fish.

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Axolotl

Conservation status

Scientific classification

Genus:

Species:

Its distribution is marked in red.

Synonyms

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 (from Classical Nahuatl: āxōlōtl), Ambystoma mexicanum, is a salamander closely related to the tiger salamander. Axolotls are unusual among amphibians because they reach adulthood without undergoing metamorphosis. They keep their legs and gills. The species was originally found in several lakes near Mexico City. Spanish settlers drained the lakes, destroying much of the axolotl's natural habitat.

Wild axolotls are listed as critically endangered. Captive axolotls are studied because of their ability to regenerate limbs, gills, and parts of their eyes and brains.

Description

An axolotl does not go through metamorphosis like most amphibians do. Most amphibians lose their gills, develop lungs, and live on land when they get older. Axolotls keep their gills, which look like delicate feathers, and they live in the water. However, they do develop lungs, which they use when they go above the water's surface.

At age 18-27 months, a mature adult axolotl ranges in length from 15 to 45 cm (6 to 18 in). Their heads are wide, and their eyes are lidless. Their mouth is shaped in a way that makes it look like they are always smiling. Males are wider in the rear, and females are wider in the middle, where they carry their eggs.

Axolotls have four pigmentation genes. They vary in color from pinkish to brownish-green. Pet owners like the white/pink colors most. Axolotls also have some ability to change their color to provide better camouflage.

In the wild, axolotls are only found in one lake, Lake Xochimilco, outside Mexico City. The water temperature in Xochimilco rarely rises above 68 °F (20 °C), although it may fall to 43-45 °F (6-7 °C) in the winter, and perhaps lower.

Reproduction

Axolotls can reproduce up to three times a year. The mating ritual looks like a dance. Afterward, the female lays 100-300 eggs. In 10-14 days, the eggs hatch, and the babies are left alone.

Diet and predators

In the wild, axolotls eat almost anything they can catch with their vestigial teeth, including mollusks, worms, fish, and even insects on the water's surface. In captivity, they eat similar things: trout and salmon pellets, frozen or live bloodworms, earthworms, waxworms, and feeder fish.

The axolotl does not have many predators. Storks, herons, carp, and tilapia are the predators that eat axolotls the most.

Conservation Status

The largest threats for axolotls are urbanization and pollution of the water where they live. The wild population of axolotls is very small, with less than 1000 axolotls left. They are considered critically endangered.

Use as a model organism

Scientists are interested in studying axolotls. They are easy to breed, and the embryo is large, which helps scientists see the full development. Axolotls can regenerate body parts and go through metamorphosis differently than other amphibians.

Regeneration

The axolotl does not heal by scarring and can regenerate entire lost appendages in months. Sometimes they can regenerate more important structures, like parts of the central nervous system and tissues of the eye and heart. They have also been able to grow an extra limb when they are repairing a damaged one. Pet owners like axolotls with an extra limb.

Axolotls do not have enough thyroid-stimulating hormone to go through a full metamorphosis: they keep their gills and live in the water. Although they use their gills to breathe, sometimes they use their newly developed lungs if they go above the water. One way to help the axolotl go through a full metamorphosis is to give it an injection of iodine, but this can hurt it. They are cute and unique in the way they are created.

Captive care

The axolotl is a popular exotic pet. Pet owners must be responsible in their care. Chlorine, including what is normally in tap water, should not be put in the tank. Salts, such as Holtfreter's solution, are often added to the water to prevent infection. The tank's temperature should be kept at approximately 61 °F (16 °C) to 64 °F (18 °C). A single axolotl typically requires a 40-gallon (150-liter) tank. Axolotls spend the majority of their time at the bottom of the tank.

The material at the bottom of the tank is important. Axolotls sometimes eat their bedding material, and it can become stuck in their intestines and cause them to die. Pet owners should use items that have a diameter of 3 or more cm (or approximately the size of the animal's head) to put at the bottom of the tank.

Cultural significance

The species is named after the Aztec deity Xolotl, who transformed himself into an axolotl. They continue to be an important role in the culture of Mexico and can be seen in cartoons and murals.

In 2020, it was announced that the axolotl would be shown on the new design for Mexico's 50- peso banknote, along with images of maize and chinampas.

Interesting facts about the axolotl

The axolotl is sometimes called the "Mexican walking fish."

Legend says the axolotl is the Aztec god of fire and lightning, Xolotl, who disguised himself as a salamander to avoid being sacrificed.

Axolotls look like babies for their entire lives. They do not go through a full metamorphosis.

They can reach top swimming speeds of up to 10 mph (15 km/h).

The axolotl can live for up to 15 years.

Axolotls have the ability to detect electric fields.

They usually live alone and only interact with other axolotls to mate.

Axolotls can accept organ transplants and quickly restore the organs' functions.

In Spanish: Ambystoma mexicanum para niños

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24 Interesting Axolotl Facts for Kids [[year] Updated]

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24 Interesting Axolotl Facts for Kids [ Updated] The axolotl is a neotenic amphibian species indigenous to Lake Xochimilco, its canal systems, and a few nearby rivers in Mexico City. It is closely related to

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The axolotl is a kind of amphibian, specifically a salamander, that does not metamorphose naturally. Usually, amphibians have gills and live underwater when they are young, but then they lose their gills, develop lungs, and live on land as adults.

Axolotls, however, keep their gills and continue living in the water as adults. Their gills are their most recognizable trait because they look like wispy feathers.

Axolotls also develop lungs. Although their main method of breathing is through their gills, they occasionally use their lungs to breathe in air from the water's surface. Because they live in water their whole lives, they always have a tail and webbed feet for swimming.

Axolotls average 23 cm (9 in.) in length. They vary in color from pinkish to brownish green, and often appear to be smiling because of the shape of their mouth.

In the wild, axolotls are only found in one lake outside Mexico City, called Lake Xochimilco.

They will eat just about anything they can catch, including fish, worms, mollusks, and even insects on the surface of the water. They are preyed upon by perch and tilapia, both of which are invasive species, as well as birds.

In captivity, axolotls are very popular. They can be found in homes and aquariums all over the world. This is because they are hardy, easy to breed, and cute enough that many people want to own one.

Axolotls can also be found in research laboratories. They are studied because, like other salamanders, the axolotl has the extraordinary ability to regrow missing body parts. That means that if an axolotl loses a leg or a tail, it will regrow, including the bones, muscle, and skin. They can also regrow organs, something scientists hope they can apply to humans one day.

Axolotl Reproduction

Breeding events happen up to three times a year. This varies depending on whether the axolotls are in the wild or captivity. Regardless of location, the act remains the same. There is what appears to be a dance after which the female lays her eggs, between 300 and 1000! After only two weeks the eggs hatch and the babies are left on their own.

Conservation Status

Despite being abundant in captivity, axolotls are considered critically endangered by the IUCN Red List. Due to a combination of habitat loss, pollution, and invasive species, the wild population of axolotls is declining. The surviving population is very small, with less than 1000 axolotls remaining in the wild.

What You Can Do to Help Axolotls

You can help the axolotl by preventing waste from making its way into water sources and raising awareness about axolotls.

Axolotl Range

Axolotl Resources

About the Author

P.A. Smith is a middle school Language Arts teacher. He is also a contributing editor of My House Rabbit.

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Axolotl Facts for Kids | Axolotls Information | Animal Fact Guide

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Did you know the axolotl is a kind of amphibian that does not metamorphose naturally? They have the ability to regrow missing body parts.