For that reason and others – such as reducing genetic diversity and introducing axolotl diseases – it is not advisable to generate a programme of captive-bred reintroduction."Īccording to research carried out by Zambrano González and others, the crucial first step in developing refuges for the axolotls is improving water quality. "We are working on restoring the habitat, which is intrinsically linked with the pre-Columbian culture. All the attempts to introduce axolotls failed because of that," says Zambrano González. Therefore, to protect the axolotls in the wild – before thinking about reintroductions – it is necessary to restore the wetland. "The first consideration is that we cannot save the wild axolotls without restoring their habitat. The following year, axolotls popped up in the lush caves biome of Minecraft. In recent years, millions of gamers have got to know these animals after they were introduced as playable characters in Fortnite in 2020. Meanwhile, captive populations are thriving in labs around the world, and the endearing amphibians also make popular pets.
More recent data suggests there are fewer than 36 per square kilometre. By 2008, just 100 of the amphibians were found per square kilometre. In 1998, researcher Dr Luis Zambrano González counted 6,000 axolotls per square kilometre. According to a paper published BioScience in 2015, axolotls have experienced a catastrophic collapse over the past couple of decades. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists axolotls as critically endangered. As a further blow, introduced freshwater fish eat the axolotl eggs and its preferred insect prey. Their numbers are decreasing due to pollution and the expansion of Mexico City encroaching upon their habitat. They used to live in Lake Chalco as well, but this was drained in the 1970s to prevent flooding. This is a high-altitude region with a water temperature that rarely rises above 20☌. The axolotl is native only to Mexico City’s Lake Xochimilco.
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