Are Axolotls Endangered and How Many Are Left In the World?

Only a few axolotls are left in the world, which is a real shame. These salamanders (water monsters) are beyond cute, like something from a Pokémon deck, especially before they are fully grown. Axolotls are relatively small, only reaching a maximum of 18 inches as a grown adult.

Their eyes are lidless, with a lot of real estate between them. Their most peculiar physical feature is the six external gills, three on each side and behind their heads. Axolotl limbs are smallish, with four tiny digits on the end of each one.

To understand just what is happening with axolotls, it’s best to start at the beginning, in their natural habitat. Axolotls are native to the Valley of Mexico, within Lake Chalco and Lake Xochimilcho. Unfortunately, the expansion of Mexico City is decimating the Axolotl population, and it doesn’t look likely to change.

How Many Axolotls Are Left In The World?

In the wild, somewhere between 50 and 1,000 axolotls are left in the natural world (not counting captivity). That’s it. As the rarest type of salamander, it’s not as if the axolotls had a burgeoning or overly large population. The fact that they only have two places to call home outside an aquarium doesn’t help matters.

Thanks to the timid nature of these salamanders, it’s tough for scientists to come up with a more concrete population count. They make tracks and get out of dodge quickly as a human being, or anything else for that matter, approaches. However, even if we take the maximum number of 1,000 axolotls, it remains a devastatingly low count.

Plus, axolotls are neotenic, meaning they don’t exchange their external gills when transitioning into adults. Salamanders usually have external gills in their larval stage, but this feature doesn’t persist into adulthood. Axolotls are different, maintaining their external gills from the beginning to the end.

Since they rarely do anything outside of water, it’s more challenging to account for the totality of their numbers. Even so, there’s no denying that the future of the axolotl population in Mexico is looking quite bleak. If things continue without fundamental changes or efforts, axolotls will join the extinction list.

What Is Causing The Axolotls Endangerment?

The reason so few axolotls are left in the world boils down to the expansion of Mexico City. Despite being one of the natural habitats for axolotls, Lake Chalco is no longer there. The entire lake is gone. As a part of the now-defunct Mexican Great Lakes, Lake Chalco was the second to last remaining lake. Now, only Lake Xochimilcho remains.

Even so, Lake Xochimilcho is no longer a lake, technically speaking. Thanks to artificial draining, it’s now a series of small water canals. In a constant state of threat from flooding, Mexico City chose to drain Lake Chalco and much of Lake Xochimilcho. What remains of both Xochimilcho and Chalco are now havens for pollution.

Urban development has consequences, after all, and the pollution of nearby natural water systems is a part of that equation. To top off the rapidly shrinking environment that axolotls call home and the rising water pollution, there is now another enemy for the remaining few water monsters to combat.

Non-native fish species now exist in the same environment, swimming around and feasting on the dwindling axolotls and their eggs and young. With decreasing water quality and volume and non-native species devouring the axolotls when they find them, they have very little time remaining.

Last but not least, drought is simply making things worse. Their habitat is disappearing rapidly to keep Mexico City free of flood damage. Drought is a consistent issue, so the axolotl’s habitat shrinks even more.

Axolotls On The Endangered Species List

With so few axolotls left in the world, it was only a matter of time before making its way onto the endangered species list. Axolotls are on the red list, making them a critically endangered species. Considering their current numbers, making such a list makes sense.

It may not be long before axolotls are only surviving because they are in so many people’s aquariums. It’s amazing how well axolotls are doing in the aquarium trade. It’s not as if supply will ever outweigh demand, after all.

Their wide range of incredible coloration, cute faces, and relatively low maintenance make them a high-demand aquarium pet. Unfortunately, that may be just the thing that extends their longevity more than their natural environment can.

The Danger Of So Few Axolotls Left In The World

While there is no immediate danger to humanity without the existence of axolotls, there is a danger to our pursuit of knowledge and ways to improve our health and longevity. Ironically, some potential secrets to long life and regeneration are hiding within the one creature we are destroying.

The liver is the best organ in the human body regarding regenerative capabilities. On the other hand, Axolotls can regenerate limbs, other tissues, and even their own nervous system. Aging and regenerative science are the last remaining vestiges of the human desire for more longevity.

These salamanders may hold the key to unlocking such potential in humanity. If only we could find a way to cohabitate with them, study them, and avoid destroying every last one. Biologists are working to understand the axolotl’s genome functionality fully. While such knowledge may never be enough to provide humanity with an extended lifespan, it also holds promise elsewhere.

For instance, a research team at the University of Kentucky was able to finalize a map of the axolotl genome, achieving the largest genome sequencing in history. Translating the function of this salamander’s genome to a mammalian variation may take a few years, decades, or scores of years. However, it will never happen if no more axolotls exist in the world.

Final Thoughts

The number of axolotls left in the world is tiny compared to their numbers within the last 20 years. While thousands of them are in captivity, there are probably less than a thousand left in their natural habitat.

Multiple and ongoing threats to their habitat show no inclination toward slowing down anytime soon. Before long, the only axolotls left will likely be the ones that live in aquariums all around the world.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Cat'chy Images - Nynke van Holten from nynkevanholten, Allexxandar from Getty Images/ via Canva.com