Animalia > Chordata > Amphibia > Caudata > Ambystomatidae > Ambystoma > Ambystoma mexicanum
 

Ambystoma mexicanum (Axolotl)

Language: Spanish

Wikipedia Abstract

The axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum, is a neotenic salamander, closely related to the Tiger Salamander. Larvae of this species fail to undergo metamorphosis, so the adults remain aquatic and gilled. It is also called ajolote (which is also a common name for different types of salamander). The species originates from numerous lakes, such as Lake Xochimilco underlying Mexico City. Axolotls are used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate limbs.
View Wikipedia Record: Ambystoma mexicanum

Endangered Species

Status: Critically Endangered
View IUCN Record: Ambystoma mexicanum

EDGE Analysis

The name “axolotl” is thought to have originated from the Aztecs, derived from two words: atl, meaning “water”, and xolotl meaning “monster”. Axolotls do not develop adult characteristics but retain their gills, fins and other larval characteristics throughout their life. They live permanently in water, in the wetlands and canals associated with Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco, adjacent to Mexico City. Once eaten as a delicacy in Mexico City, they are now a protected species in Mexico and Critically Endangered in the wild.
Uniqueness Scale: Similiar (0) 
21
 Unique (100)
Uniqueness & Vulnerability Scale: Similiar & Secure (0) 
90
 Unique & Vulnerable (100)
ED Score: 42.62
EDGE Score: 6.55
View EDGE Record: Ambystoma mexicanum

Attributes

Female Maturity [2]  1 year 6 months
Male Maturity [2]  1 year 6 months
Diet [1]  Carnivore
Gestation [2]  18 days
Maximum Longevity [2]  17 years
Nocturnal [1]  Yes
Water Biome [1]  Lakes and Ponds

Ecoregions

Name Countries Ecozone Biome Species Report Map Climate Land
Use
Central Mexican matorral Mexico Nearctic Deserts and Xeric Shrublands
Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests Mexico Neotropic Tropical and Subtropical Coniferous Forests

Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) Sites

Name  Location   Map   Climate   Land Use 
Sur del Valle de México Mexico

Biodiversity Hotspots

Name Location Endemic Species Website Map
Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands Mexico, United States No

Institutions (Zoos, etc.)

    Maps
Institution Infraspecies / Breed 
Aalborg Zoo
Abilene Zoological Gardens
Adelaide Zoo
Adventure Aquarium
Akron Zoological Park
Albuquerque Biological Park
Aqua Zoo Friesland
Artis Zoo
Auckland Zoological Park
Berkshire College of Agriculture
Birmingham Nature Centre
Blank Park Zoo of Des Moines
Bristol Zoo Gardens
Brooklands Zoo
Budapest Zool.& Botanical Garden
Cape May County Park Zoo
CERZA Centre d'Etude Rech Zool Augeron
Clyde Peeling's Reptiland
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Copenhagen Zoo
Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens
Dallas World Aquarium
Dallas Zoo
Detroit Zoological Society
Dierenpark Amersfoort
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Drayton Manor Park Zoo
Dudley Zoological Gardens
Ecodrome CV
Edinburgh Zoo-Scottish National Zoo
Granby Zoo / Zoo de Granby
Great Plains Zoo
Greenville Zoo
Guadalajara Zoo
Hamilton Zoo
Helsinki Zoo
Honolulu Zoo
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
Jardim Zoologico / Lisbon Zoo
Kharkiv Zoo
Kyiv Zoological Park
Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens
Little Rock Zoological Gardens
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens
Münchener Tierpark Hellabrunn
Melbourne Zoo
Miami Metrozoo
Miskolc Zoo/Állatkert és Kultúrpark
Moulton College
Musee d'Histoire Naturelle de Tournai
Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
Nat'l Zoological Gardens of S. Africa
Nikolaev Zoo of Nikolaev-City Council
North of England Zoological Society
NY State Zoo at Thompson Park
Oceanario de Lisboa
Ogrod Zoologiczny w Opolu, Opole
Oklahoma City Zoological Park
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park
Parc Merveilleux
Parc Zoologic de Barcelona
Peoria Zoo in Glen Oak Park
Port Lympne Wild Animal Park
Potter Park Zoological Gardens
Rodbaston College
Roger Williams Park Zoo
Rome Zoo-Fondazione Bioparco di Roma
Roosevelt Park Zoo
Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park
Rotterdam Zoo
Sacramento Zoo
Saitama Children's Zoo
San Antonio Zoological Gardens & Aquar
Sequoia Park Zoo
Shuttleworth College Animal Centre
Slimbridge New Grounds W&WTrust
Staten Island Zoo
Szeged Zoo
Tallinn Zoo
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
Thuringer Zoopark Erfurt
Tilgate Nature Centre
Toronto Zoo
Trotter's World of Animals
Turtle Back Zoo
Ueno Zoological Gardens
Valley Zoo & John Janzen Nature Center
Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Ctr
Wellington Zoo Trust
Welsh Mountain Zoo
Whipsnade Wild Animal Park
Wildlife World Zoo
Woodland Park Zoological Gardens
Wroclaw Zoo, LLC
Zoo of Antwerp
Zoo Zürich
Zoological Society of London

Range Map

Link to Map
Middle America;

External References

Photos

Citations

Species recognized by , , ITIS Global: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System in Catalog of Life 2011
Endangered Status provided by IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2 <www.iucnredlist.org> Downloaded on 11 April 2013.
Attributes / relations provided by ♦ 1Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2006. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed February 01, 2010 at animaldiversity.org ♦ 2de Magalhaes, J. P., and Costa, J. (2009) A database of vertebrate longevity records and their relation to other life-history traits. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 22(8):1770-1774
Ecoregions provided by World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). WildFinder: Online database of species distributions, ver. 01.06 gis.wwfus.org/wildfinder
Biodiversity Hotspots provided by Biodiversity Hotspots, Conservation International
AZE sites provided by Alliance for Zero Extinction (2010). 2010 AZE Update.
Images provided by Wikimedia Commons licensed under a Creative Commons License
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
EDGE analysis provided by EDGE of Existence programme, Zoological Society of London
Range map provided by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Conservation International & NatureServe.
Weather provided by NOAA METAR Data Access
Institution information provided by International Species Information System - May 2011