The axolotl, the amphibian that triumphs around the world but is disappearing in Mexico
Critically endangered in its natural habitat in Mexico, the axolotl, a small animal with endearing features, is a global pop culture icon. “The Wall Street Journal” traces the race against time undertaken by scientists to save it.
A modest aquatic salamander with a smile straight out of a cartoon and the ability to regenerate entire limbs: the craze for axolotls is global, and these creatures now populate [video games] Minecraft , Fortnite andPokémon , and even inspire McDonald's Happy Meal toys.
The only place where their numbers are declining is in Mexico, in their natural habitat.
The axolotl (pronounced “a-cho-lotl” in Nahuatl) is on the brink of extinction [it is listed as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature], even as it achieves international fame as several industries use its image to sell beer, T-shirts, and video games.
Scientists estimate that fewer than 1,000 – or perhaps just 50 – still live in what remains of their natural habitat, a network of canals and islands reminiscent of Venice, built by the Aztecs and still standing today in the Xochimilco district of Mexico City.
The last census carried out there in 2014 counted 35 of these amphibians per square kilometer, compared to 6,000 in 1998. Mexican researchers fear that the next one,
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