All About Axolotls
The smiling salamanders of Mexico
A site by Amiyha
10 Awesome Facts
They can regrow body parts!
Axolotls can grow back their legs, tails, parts of their heart, and even pieces of their brain. Scientists study them to learn how!
They never grow up
Most salamanders turn into land animals when they grow up. Axolotls stay in their baby form forever and live underwater their whole lives.
Those feathery things are gills
The fluffy pink branches on their head are external gills. They use them to breathe underwater, like fish!
They breathe THREE ways
Axolotls breathe through their gills, lungs, AND their skin. They are super good at getting oxygen!
They're from Mexico
Wild axolotls only live in Lake Xochimilco, near Mexico City. Sadly, that lake is the only place left in the world where they live wild.
Their name means "water dog"
The name comes from Xolotl, an Aztec god. Some people just call them axies for short!
They can live 10–15 years
That's a long time for a salamander! In a good home with a clean tank, axolotls live a really long time.
They're carnivores
Axolotls eat worms, tiny fish, insects, and shrimp. They suck their food in fast like a vacuum!
They look like they're smiling
Their mouths curve up at the corners, so it always looks like they're happy. That's why people love them so much!
They grow about 9–12 inches
Adult axolotls are about as long as a school ruler. The biggest ones can reach a foot long!
Axolotl Colors
Axolotls come in lots of beautiful colors!
Wild Type
Brown with spots, like in nature
Leucistic
Pink-white with dark eyes (the famous one!)
Albino
Cream-yellow with red eyes
Melanoid
All black, no shiny spots
Golden
Shiny golden with sparkles
Watch a real axolotl!
See real axolotls swimming around with their fluffy pink gills! Watch how they breathe underwater and use their tiny legs to move.
Save the Axolotls!
Wild axolotls are critically endangered. Pollution and other animals in their lake are making it hard for them to survive. Scientists and people in Mexico are working hard to protect them so they don't disappear forever.