The Axolotl Salamander Doesn’t Wanna Grow Up | Deep Look

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Native to the lakes of Mexico City, the axolotl stays in the water its whole life, swimming with a tail fin and breathing through frilly external gills. It’s nearly extinct in the wild, but survives in research labs the world over, studied for its amazing regenerative abilities. With our help, can these beloved creatures thrive once again in their ancestral home?

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The axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is an aquatic salamander that basically never wants to grow up. It grows in size as it matures, but unlike most of its close cousins in the mole salamander family, it does not change into a land-dwelling adult. For its entire life, it lives in the water, retaining its larval characteristics – like external gills and a tailfin, used for swimming.

Now, the few remaining wild axolotls left in the world live in the middle of Mexico City, in the canals that are the remnants of their native Lake Xochimilco. Here, for over 800 years, the animal has represented a bridge between humans and the natural world. The name “axolotl” comes from the Nahuatl Aztec language meaning “water dog.” For the Aztecs, this swimming salamander is one of the spirit animal forms of the Aztec god Xolotl, who is associated with lighting and death, and imbued with powers of physical transformation.

Mexico City was built around, and on top of, a large network of spring-fed lakes over the hundreds of years of its existence. The lakes were drained and filled in over time, as the millions of people made the city their home.

--- How do axolotls breathe?
The signature frills behind the axolotl’s head are its external gills. The fine, branched structure of these exposed gills allows more surface area to be exposed to absorb oxygen from the water. To breathe, an axolotl just needs to flap those external gills! That’s not all - these animals have even more ways they can breathe. Like all other salamanders, axolotls are able to absorb oxygen through their skin. Plus, they have fully functional lungs they can use if there is not enough oxygen in the water. NOTE to axolotl pet owners: Despite having working lungs, the animals will not survive for more than a few hours out of water.

--- Is the axolotl immortal?

No, axolotls are not immortal, but they do possess extraordinary powers of limb and organ regeneration. If these aquatic amphibians lose a leg, tail or even parts of their spinal cord or brain, they can regrow the missing piece. There are other animals that can regenerate organs and limbs, but the axolotl is one of very few vertebrates (animals with backbones - like us) that is able to do this.

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🏆Congratulations🏆 to the following fans on our Deep Look Community Tab for correctly answering our GIF challenge, that nerve cells are needed to begin any regenerative process for axolotls.

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#axolotl #salamanders #deeplook
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Love to be able to see the red blood cells move inside the gills ! Beautiful camera job

healthyseal
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It's mind blowing how "small" this channel is compared to it's content quality. Amazing work!

someonewatchingvideos
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"The axolotl salamander doesn't wanna grow up"
Right there with you, buddy.

panqueque
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I've been waiting for this ever since I saw the teaser!! Axolotls are sooo adorable

snow
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They are biological treasures worth protecting (although all animals deserve to be protected too)

muhmalikali
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Never heard someone that speaks English say Xochimilco so perfect😭 proud of ya 💙

Poio_felix
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I never knew that those bushing things are actually gills. Today i learn something new. Thanks Deep Look!

tgnm
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Very timely. Minecraft just added these creatures to the game. My kid immediately wanted to watch (and learn).

gregroberson
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Had no idea axolotls were salamanders, but it does make sense in hindsight.

Interesting how these creatures have been involved in human mythology.

WanderTheNomad
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advancement made:
*the cutest predator*

northernalpine
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New episode, yeah!! They are adorable 💯🙂

reionj
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I have 2 axolotls and I absolutely love them! They are tame enough to hand feed and like little pets on thier heads 🥰

raymondburnham
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A friend told me that there's actually a conservation effort being made in New Mexico to make them another natural habitat

kimberlypeters
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I have one of these at home! He's an albino with black dots on his nose and red/pink gills with blue eyes. He constantly looks happy and swims up to the surface, because he loves taking air from above the water!

REDFRLegend
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"That's amazing for a vertebrate, an animal with a backbone like us" 😃😃

whatsmyname
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were the moving blood cells real? Impressive shot then❤️

archishman
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1:22
we could see the blood flowing!!
amazing video quality ❤️❤️❤️

sarthaksuman
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I have 7 of them currently and they are such amazing creatures this channel really showed that too

tiredbirb
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The Axolotls’ abilities to adapt to different environments and to regenerate their body parts are magnificent~💞 Hopefully they can thrive in the wild as well~
Thank you for sharing this video!🤗

AniFam
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I really loved this! So happy that they’re working with the local community to help these animals

sully