Saturday, March 15, 2025

You Sure Axolotl Questions!

Have you ever heard of an axolotl? You may have just thought they were a cute storybook animal, but they really do exist! And boy are they cute. Axolotls are a type of salamander. Salamanders are amphibians like frogs and toads, which means they have moist skin and start their lives in water. Most salamanders hatch as eggs in ponds or streams. They spend time as a larva with gills that are outside their body. When they final grow into adults, the gills disappear and they crawl out on land to spend the rest of their lives hiding in moist places looking for bugs, worms and other insects to eat.

Axolotls are salamanders that never leave the water. They keep their gills for their whole life. Axolotls are originally from a few ponds around Mexico City, Mexico. There are very few living in the wild now, so they are considered endangered. Many people around the world like to keep them as pets. Many zoos and colleges have groups of axolotls.

They come in several different colors. They may be tan, brown or even pink. The pink ones are called albinos. Axolotls in the wild are grey-brown in color. Axolotls like to eat crustaceans, worms, insects, and even small fish. Axolotls can live for live for 10-15 years and can grow to 30 cm (12 inches).

Papaw doesn’t have any axolotls right now. They need to be kept pretty cold, almost like in your refrigerator! I would have to have an aquarium with a device called a chiller to keep them cold. I asked Meema if I could keep one in our refrigerator, but she said no because he might eat all the bacon. Nope, he can't have my bacon! 

If you would like to learn more about axolotls here are some sites to check out. 

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/axolotl

Axolotl Song


Axolotl Coloring Pages


     

See Ya Next Week!
Love, Papaw


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