Axolotls are facing critical endangerment according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. These creatures, revered as national symbols depicted on Mexico’s 50 peso bills and historically considered divine by the Aztecs, are now at an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
Data from studies over the years illustrate the decline in axolotl populations. In 1998, there were an estimated 6,000 axolotls per square kilometer in their natural habitat in Xochimilco, a district in the southern part of Mexico City. By 2004, their numbers had decreased to just 1,000, and further plummeted to 100 by 2008. A 2014 survey of Mexico’s wild axolotl population recorded only 36 individuals. Currently, a new assessment is being conducted, marking a decade since the previous count. Xochimilco itself, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its Aztec-built canal network, is suffering ecological degradation due to increasing urbanization.
The axolotl’s march toward extinction appears relentless. However, efforts led by scientists from the Ecological Restoration Laboratory at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) offer a glimmer of hope. These researchers aim to alter this trajectory by preserving one of the planet’s most ancient terrestrial vertebrates.
Luis Zambrano, leader of the project and founder of the Ecological Restoration Laboratory, states that the census aims to understand the current status of the axolotl population. Public sightings alone do not confirm their presence in the wild, necessitating evidence-based research. Once the researchers confirm the axolotls’ existence and estimate their numbers in Xochimilco, they plan to engage in public education campaigns, address misinformation, and support the wild population through the release of captive-bred individuals. The survey results are expected to be released in the first half of 2025, with another count planned for 2026.
During the census, scientists Vania Mendoza, Viviam Crespo, and Paola Cervantes, collaborating with local villagers such as Basilio Rodríguez, were observed using traditional fishing techniques alongside innovative methods like environmental DNA analysis to detect the presence of axolotls through genetic material shed into the environment.
The survey is conducted at dawn in Xochimilco, part of the last remnants of the ancient lake system of the Basin of Mexico, where species long lost to other areas of Mexico City still exist. The setting resembles a scene from a Mexican fairy tale, with herons and pelicans heard at sunrise. While traversing the landscape on a wooden raft, the researchers observed the lake’s rich ecological tapestry, including artificial agricultural islands called chinampas, which first astounded Spanish explorers during the colonial era.
Axolotls are distinguished by their four legs, long tails, nocturnal habits, and carnivorous diets. They come in four color variations: wild axolotls are blackish-brown, while mutant forms include leucistic (white with dark eyes), white albino, and golden albino. Although no axolotls were found during the recent survey efforts, Paola Cervantes, a participant in the UNAM census, notes that DNA analysis provides a promising avenue for confirming their existence.
