🦎 Axolotls (Mexican Walking Fish)

Axolotls are one of the most fascinating amphibians in the world—and a favorite for education programs like yours. Here’s a clear, science-accurate overview you can use for talks, handouts, or quick explanations.

What is an Axolotl?

The Axolotl is a neotenic salamander, meaning it keeps its juvenile traits (like external gills) for its entire life instead of metamorphosing into a land animal.

Where Are They From?

• Native only to Lake Xochimilco
  
  

• Critically endangered in the wild due to habitat loss, pollution, and invasive fish
  
  

Key Features

• 🌸 External feathery gills
  
  

• 🧬 Incredible regeneration (can regrow limbs, spinal cord, parts of the heart and brain)
  
  

• 🐟 Fully aquatic for life
  
  

• 😮 Permanently “smiling” appearance
  
  

Axolotl Colors (Morphs)

• Wild type (dark with speckles)
  
  

• Leucistic (pink with black eyes)
  
  

• Albino / Golden albino
  
  

• Melanoid
  
  

• Copper
  (Color morphs are from captive breeding, not wild populations)
  
  

Diet

• Earthworms (best staple)
  
  

• Soft sinking carnivore pellets
  
  

• Blackworms, bloodworms (treats)
  
  

• Small aquatic invertebrates
  
  

Basic Care Snapshot (Adult)

• Temperature: 60–68°F (cool water is critical)
  
  

• Tank: 20+ gallons per adult
  
  

• Substrate: Bare bottom or large smooth stones (no gravel!)
  
  

• Water: Clean, cycled, low flow
  
  

• Lighting: Low
  
  

Fun Educational Facts 

• Axolotls can regrow a leg over and over again
  
  

• They breathe through gills, skin, and lungs
  
  

• Their name comes from an Aztec god
  
  

• They are not fish—they’re amphibians!
  
  

Conservation Message

Axolotls are:

• ❌ Almost extinct in the wild
  
  

• ✅ Thriving in captive breeding programs
  
  

• 🔬 Important for medical and regeneration research