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AmphibianTerrestrialIntermediate
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Axolotl (Wild Type)
Ambystoma mexicanum "Wild Type"
The natural coloration of Lake Xochimilco: deep olive green or speckled brown with dark gills and golden highlights.
Class:Amphibia
Order:Caudata
Family:Ambystomatidae
Genus:Ambystoma
Species:Ambystoma mexicanum "Wild Type"
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
100 %
Day temperature
14 - 20 °C
Night temperature
14 - 20 °C
UVB
None
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Originally endemic to the high-altitude lake system of the Valley of Mexico (Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco). They are critically endangered in the wild. They inhabit the cold, dark bottoms of lakes, sheltered by aquatic plants and root systems.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Family Ambystomatidae. Commonly known as the Axolotl. It is a neotenic salamander, meaning it reaches sexual maturity without undergoing metamorphosis, retaining larval characteristics such as external gills and a tail fin.
Behavior and Habits: Quiet, sedentary, bottom-dwelling animal. They move slowly along the substrate but can swim rapidly using tail movements when startled. They possess a powerful suction feeding mechanism and will consume any moving prey that fits in their mouth.
Morphology: Features a flattened head with a wide mouth and three pairs of external gills with vascularized filaments. The Wild Type morph displays a dark mottled brown or deep olive-green body with dark gill filaments and golden iridophores. Mature males have a swollen cloacal region at the base of the tail, while adult females have a rounder, thicker body shape due to egg development.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: Strictly aquatic. Requires a large aquarium (minimum 80-100 cm in length). Maintain very low water flow using a spray bar to avoid stress. Use fine sand or leave the bottom bare; never use small gravel, as it can be ingested and cause fatal impaction.
Lighting and Heating: Keep water cold, strictly below 20°C. Temperatures above 24°C cause severe stress and fungal infections. Chillers are mandatory in warm climates. Provide dim, shaded lighting using floating plants.
Humidity and Hydration: Aquatic species. Requires clean, hard, and well-oxygenated water. Perform large weekly water changes and siphon organic waste. Always use a high-quality water dechlorinator; reverse osmosis water should be remineralized.
Feeding and Supplementation: Carnivorous. Feed earthworms, blackworms, or high-quality sinking salmon pellets. Do not feed mammalian or avian meat (like beef heart) as they cannot digest it properly.
Compatibility: Must be kept in a species-only tank, or only with individuals of the exact same size. Larger individuals will bite limbs or gills off smaller ones. Do not house with sucker-mouth fish (like Plecostomus), which graze on the axolotl's skin.
Health and Common Diseases: Prone to fungal infections (Saprolegnia) if temperatures rise. Extremely sensitive to heavy metals (copper, iron) in tap water. Possesses remarkable regenerative abilities, able to regrow lost limbs and organs.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Originally endemic to the high-altitude lake system of the Valley of Mexico (Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco). They are critically endangered in the wild. They inhabit the cold, dark bottoms of lakes, sheltered by aquatic plants and root systems.
Origin
Central America and Caribbean
Amphibian profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 30 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Toxicity
- No verified data available
- Life stage
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 30 cm. The AmphiBIO v1 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 30 cm for this species, recorded as total length (TL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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