In a biology lab on the Boise State campus, a rare and mysterious creature sits in a tank. It has a rich cultural background and looks like it’s wearing a feather boa around its neck. It swims and it sways as if dancing to a Latin rhythm from its homeland, but its livelihood is threatened in the wild.
Axolotl Lore
Scientists know it as Ambystoma mexicanum, but you might know it as the axolotl, or ajolote in Spanish. It’s a critically endangered species of salamander native to Mexico. In the wild, they can only be found in one place; Lake Xochimilco, now a series of canals running through Mexico City.
The word axolotl means “water monster”, but fans of the animal would say it’s far from.
They were named after the Aztec God, Xólotl, who was the God of fire and lightning. I’ve heard the story from friends and family members who are familiar with axolotls, and the ending of each telling varied. Legend says Xólotl refused to sacrifice himself, so he shapeshifted and became an axolotl to cheat death. Quetzalcóatl, Xólotl’s twin brother, was angry and hunted Xólotl. He ultimately spared his life but banished him to live the rest of his days in darkness, and so the axolotl was created.
The Aztecs believed axolotls were the incarnation of Xólotl and used them for things like medicine, rituals, and food.
Most axolotls that are found in the wild are black or dark brown to blend in with their habitat. They have four legs and tiny fingers, small eyes, small nostrils, and a mouth that always looks like a smile. They have a tadpole-like tail, delicate skin, and feathery external gills for them to breathe underwater. In fact, their gills almost look like an Aztec headpiece.
Meet Rose the Axolotl
Axolotls are hard to come by in the wild because they suffer from water pollution, habitat loss, overfishing, and invasive species.
I took a Biology course for non-majors in my second year at Boise State University for a credit requirement, and I was surprised to see an unusually colorful axolotl in the classroom. I finished the course, but was still curious, and met up with Melanie Purviance, the Lab Materials Supervisor, to figure out how and why this axolotl is in Idaho.
“Rose is an axolotl, they are really unique because they have something called neoteny and what that means is, they stay in their larval state their entire lives," said Purviance.
She said Rose has been at the university for about ten years and in captivity, axolotls can live from 15 to 20 years. The salamander is light pink with red feathery gills. She was donated to the Biology Department for their animal diversity lab.
“We set up specimens from all the major phylums in here. And, she is one of the only live animals we put in here for that," she said.
Students are always excited to meet and interact with Rose during the lab.
“She loves people. She's not scared of them at all," said Purviance. "She just really seems happy when people are paying attention to her.”
Axolotls in Pop Culture
Speaking of enjoying the limelight, axolotls like Rose can be seen in a variety of pop culture. I’ve seen them in games like Minecraft and Pokémon as Mudkip. They are popular for plushies, stickers, room decor, and are the subject of many YouTube videos and small nature documentaries.
Purviance said their popularity has influenced the demand for axolotls in the pet trade and it’s helped the species stay afloat a little while longer.
She says “A lot of people look at them and think they look like baby dragons. They're just adorable. Their faces always look like they're smiling. It's just how their mouth is, they're not smiling, but they just look like friendly, cute little things."
Albino axolotls like Rose have a pink color because they lack the pigment present in most of them for brown or black skin. The lack of color is great for being a pet but not so much for survival in the wild.
Contributions to the Environment
David Chambers, an Adjunct Professor with Boise State University, specializes in herpetology which is the study of amphibians. I wanted to get his thoughts on axolotls, but I also wanted to learn more about what amphibians do for the environment.
He said “Amphibians are their own unique group. They were the first, uh, to kind of venture from the land and kind of do this, like dual habitat thing where they did both land and water.”
He said amphibians share many common characteristics like not having claws or scales, underdeveloped eyesight, and delicate skin. Axolotls can’t spend a lot of time on land and prefer to live in the water because they are sensitive.
Chambers said amphibians are also indicators of a healthy ecosystem.
"In order to protect them, you need to protect the area, the habitat. Right? It's all about habitat quality, allowing them to just not be in contact with certain types of chemicals, certain types of pollutants, habitat fragmentation, degradation."David Chambers
He urges people to think before they purchase axolotls because they require so much care. But he said, it’s important to protect ecosystems, so these and other animals can thrive in their natural habitats, the way they were meant to for years to come.
