Salamander, Beloved

According to Aztec legend, the axolotl, an aquatic salamander native to Mexico, represents the god of fire and lightning, Xolotl, who transformed himself into a salamander to avoid being sacrificed. 

Centuries later, the axolotl is beloved in the country, even as Mexicans worry because it is at risk of extinction. 

“If we lose this species, we lose part of our Mexican identity,” study author Luis Zambrano told the BBC.  

But now, researchers say they may have found a way to save it.  

Currently, axolotls are thriving in captivity, where they serve both as pets and research subjects. Those at risk of extinction are their wild counterparts, endemic to Lake Xochimilco in Mexico City. Due to the degradation of their native wetlands, there are only as many as 1,000 axolotls left in the wild. Some say the real number is far lower. 

A new study has found that introducing captive-bred axolotls to restored and artificial wetlands could be a promising solution for the conservation of this species. 

“This is a huge step, because in conservation programs when you have animals in captivity and you take them back to the wild … there’s a lot of mortality,” lead study author Alejandra Ramos told the Washington Post. 

The researchers found two possible habitats in southern Mexico City to reintroduce the axolotls. One is a restored canal, a chinampa, in Lake Xochimilco, while the other is a spring-fed pond in a manmade wetland. They placed transmitters on the 18 axolotls included in the study, releasing 10 in the chinampa and eight in the wetland. 

With the help of volunteers, they used radio receivers to track the animals’ movements for 40 days, checking twice a day at the beginning of the experiment and every hour when nearing the end. 

The entire sample survived the experiment and three of the axolotls were recollected and found to have gained weight, which indicates the animals are able to hunt in the wild. 

“If they had been skinny or ill,” Ramos told Science News, “that would have been really, really bad for us.” 

The tracking showed the axolotls explored the area upon reintroduction and then settled into hunting and hiding spots. They were more active where the temperature was around 60 degrees Fahrenheit, in line with previous studies that showed that these animals prefer cooler temperatures. 

However, the researchers’ main goal is to safeguard the original habitat of axolotls already in the wild by making it more livable, therefore, reintroduction should remain a plan of last resort if all else fails. 

“If we can restore this (wetland) habitat and restore the axolotl’s population,” Zambrano said, “I feel that we have hope for humanity.”