Strap on your crocs and get ready for some cleanin’, learnin’ and laughin’ with Trash Talkin’ Tammy, Learnin’ Leslie and Al the Axolotl as we venture out into the intracoastal of South Florida. The goal of this series is to make the most positive impact as we possibly can, while learning about some cool species through our Species Spotlights along the way. You can help make a positive impact too by sharing this video with a friend or loved one. If you want to snatch n’ grab yourself the OFFICIAL Trash Talkin’ N’ Learnin’ Crew shirt, visit our Shop Here. In the meantime, have a good day and clean up the waterways!
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Axolotl Facts
What is it?
A salamander that lives its entire life underwater.
Where do they come from?
The Axolotl comes from a lake in Mexico that barely exists today. All that remains are a few small canals. This lake was drained during the development of Mexico City in order to avoid flooding of the city.
What do they eat?
Axolotls are like mini, derpy vacuums. In the wild they suck up and swallow whole their prey which includes: crustaceans, mollusks, insect eggs and small fish. In captivity they can eat the same but seem to prefer earthworms and a variety of pellet foods.
How long do they live?
Their life expectancy is from 10 to 15 years.
Are they endangered?
As of October of 2019, the Axolotl is listed by the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered with the species wild populations in decline. There is good news though.
What is being done in order to preserve them?
We have an entire article written about this on Aquapparel.com if you are interested in checking that out once you finish watching this video for more of a deep dive. In short, this species has a pretty cool ability. They can regenerate any limb, their eyes and even parts of their brain. Once the medical community discovered this, they began to work on the preservation of the species.
Can you have them as pets?
Yes, but you need to maintain a lower than normal temperature for them in order to keep them healthy and thriving. The average temperature of Lake Chalco is in the low 60s range. So in order to recreate this in captivity, you will need some kind of chiller to maintain this temperature. There are many breeders of this species so they are readily available. And in fact, some of these breeders have played and are still playing a huge role in preserving and restoring this species in the wild.