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Axolotl
Ambystoma mexicanum. An amphibian that keeps larval features after reaching maturity.
Jazyk obsahu
Three pairs of branching external gills extend from the sides of an axolotl's head. They remain even after the animal becomes sexually mature. This amphibian retains larval features while being able to reproduce, a condition called neoteny. Adulthood therefore does not involve the usual transformation into a land-dwelling animal seen in many amphibians.
The axolotl's natural home is the fresh water of Xochimilco in Mexico. It formerly also inhabited Lake Chalco, which was almost completely drained. It needs cool, well-oxygenated water and vegetation that provides cover. During the day it often hides near the bottom, becoming more active at dusk and at night.
Axolotls are predators. Smell helps them locate food, including molluscs, crustaceans and small fish. Wild animals usually have dark grey or brown bodies with dark spots. Pale varieties familiar from captive breeding represent only part of their colour variation. Pollution and the loss of natural habitat limit this amphibian's chances of survival in the wild.
Pre deti
The branching growths beside an axolotl's head are gills, which take oxygen from the water. It has three pairs. Many amphibians change their appearance greatly as they grow up. An axolotl keeps features of its young form even when it is an adult and can produce offspring. Scientists call this neoteny.
Its natural home is Xochimilco in Mexico. It once also lived in Lake Chalco, but almost all that lake's water was drained. Axolotls need cool, clean water containing oxygen and plants. They hide near the bottom during the day and search for food at dusk and at night.
Smell helps them find small aquatic animals such as crustaceans and fish. Wild axolotls are usually dark and spotted. Pale captive-bred animals are therefore not the species' only possible colour. Polluted water and disappearing habitat threaten their wild relatives.
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What does neoteny mean in an axolotl?
- Poloha
- At the Border of Water and Land, second floor, tank 407 · Gdynia Aquarium