The Xochimilco network of lakes and canals in Mexico is the home to a unique salamander-like creature called the axolotl (pronounced ACK-suh-LAH-tuhl), which is colloquially known as the "water monster" and the "Mexican walking fish." Thus far, the axolotl's only known natural habitat is in Mexico City's lakes and according to biologists, the water creature could be at risk of extinction as it appears that the creature has disappeared from nature. The species, which is a close relative of the tiger salamander, has suffered a declining population due to the draining and contamination of water in its natural habitat coupled with the fact that roasted axolotl is considered to be a delicacy in Mexico. In a statement, the Mexican Academy of Sciences revealed that there were 6,000 axolotls per square kilometer in 1998, 1,000 axolotls per square kilometer in 2003, and a mere 100 axolotls per square kilometer in 2008.
Biologist Armando Tovar Garza, from Mexico's National Autonomous University, told the Associated Press that researchers were unable to find one axolotl specimen in four months. And while there are axolotls still living in aquariums and research labs, their odds of carrying on the species are slim due to interbreeding and other risk factors. While Garza goes on record to say its far too soon to label the species as extinct, all the signs point to that conclusion. He shares that researchers will begin searching in early February "on almost all the canals have to be repeated, because now we are in the cold season, with lower temperatures, and that is when we ought to have more success with the axolotls, because it is when they breed."
As for protecting the axolotl population, researchers have been creating axolotl "shelters" in Xochimilco over the past few years. An area is selected where rocks and reedy plants are placed to serve as filters and cleaner water is pumped in to create a better living situation. The goal of the shelters are to create a sanctuary for the axolotl where they don't have to compete for food with non-native Asian carp and African tilapia, two breeds of non-native fish that entered the lake's ecosystem years ago and have the same dietary preferences as the axolotls.
Axolotls are notorious for being "ugly" creatures, boasting odd-looking gills, a slimy tail, a wide head, lidless eyes and an overall strange appearance. The "water monster" can grow up to a foot long and have four feet which are used to walk at the bottom of lakes or to swim like alligators. The carnivorous amphibian feasts on aquatic insects, small fish and crustaceans. Axolotls have the ability to regenerate lost body parts, reports the National Geographic, and as such, they are one of the most scientifically studied salamanders in the world. Millions of axolotls are said to have lived in the lakes of Xochimilco and Chalco and according to legend, Xolotl -- the Aztec dog-headed god of death, fire, sickness and deformities -- changed into an axolotl and fled into the lake fearing death.
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