You can find them in lush caves and carry them in a bucket. They attack anything aquatic except turtles, dolphins, frogs and other axolotls, but they’ll wait 2 minutes between attacks. You can make them breed by giving them tropical fish, and the babies will grow into full sized adults in 20 minutes. There is a 0.083% chance that they will have a blue mutation, making blue axolotls really rare. I hope to get one someday and call it George.
That story (which is only 11 paragraphs long) haunted me since reading it in high school in the 80s. I got an axolotl because of it, and it lived for 15 years.
I'm pretty sure the video itself is AI and if it wasn't muted it would 100% have AI voices. The writing sounds like every AI generated video and the editing is 100k different stolen videos stitched together rapidly cutting from one another which is another telltale sign
Okay, now I want an Axolotl to practice my spanish with. Also there is a 'Xoxcimilco' in Cancun which is part of the Xcaret nature parks and it's basically a canal boat cruise while tasting different foods and getting very drunk, (in my case, with a gaggle of Peruvian geandmothers who put my liquor tolerance to SHAME) and Axolotls would have made everything better.
They used to be quite common a long time ago (…back in the 90’s). Back then, they only cost about $20 each. Very chill pets to have in an aquarium. But nowadays… they’re critically endangered, which sucks and is probably 100% our fault.
In 1998, a survey found six thousand axolotl per square kilometer in their native range. A 2023 survey found two. Not two per square kilometer; two as in "One, two". They're functionally EW now, with nearly all remaining specimens living captive as pets.
Yep :( their skin absorbs toxins from the water and with the level of pollution some of their habits have faced it's been very hard for them to survive and procreate. The captive population is doing great though which is in part because scientists have bred them over and over for gene testing. They can attach bioluminescence to specific gene markers so axolotls born with that gene (usually for cancer research) will glow under blacklight which is a fast way to see that it's present
I used to work at a pet store that sold them and adopted a few myself that would glow under blacklight. They're amazing pets and I felt a fitting reminder that animal testing has long lasting repercussions, as I was getting my degree in bio-medical engineering at the time
They have hyper specific temperature, and harness level to survive. If you know the species you can keep them for a long time but too many people see them at reptile shows and buy on impulse and put them in their fish tank and they die. The wild ones are going to die out because of acid rain messing up their ph zone and of course habitats destruction. Most the ones at trade shows are captive breed and NOT wild caught
Captive animals don't really count when researchers estimate species state because they are not part of the species gene pool or reproduction potential and can be genetically from a lineage that is not anymore viable in the wild. Species must be protected in their natural habitat!
No need for probably. It is our fault. We’re a cretinous, greedy, thoughtless species. We take what we want with no thought of the consequences. The exotic pet trade has a huge amount to answer for ☹️
If we were only 'cretinous, greedy, thoughtless species,'' you would not have made your comment cause it wouldn't be possible for any of us to care for the loss of wild species. We are many things, and you are proof of that.
You're giving life too much credit if you think any other living species would not oversaturate their living space given the opportunity. We are just cursed with enough intelligence to understand the problem but not enough to overcome our evolutionary instincts of accumulation and need to fit the social group. It's depressing but its the core of the problem.
Most at the pet shows are captive breed. The wild ones are dying out because of climate change altering the temperatures and causing acid rain that lowers the ph of their water which they cannot tolerate. Conservationist actually have a decent relationship with captive breeders as they breeders do extensive research into habituate conditions as most need ideal conditions to breed. The zoological societies and conservation take this and use it themselves for breeding programs.
It’s not a perfect system and of course there are nut jobs in there that do not take the animal health into consideration when breeding (looking at the spider morph snake breeders 😡). But if someone is actively trying to set up captive breeding I’m ok with THEM having wild caught. If you just want a crockodile skink cause it looks like toothless so you buy a wild caught, you are garbage and should be reported to fish and wildlife (if that department still exists in trumps America…)
I like how you didn't capitalize trump. You've inspired me to add ₜᵣᵤₘₚ to my pinned clipboard. I hope it becomes a thing cause he's so insecure I know it would bother him.
Okay, am I the only one who has never seen one with any kind of size reference? Every photo I’ve ever seen they’re just kind of chilling by themselves. I always assumed they were super teeny tiny, but they’re way bigger than I thought!
They are small until they are exposed to iodine which triggers adulthood, withold iodine and they keep growing. I’ve heard of some that were nearly six feet.
Wasn't there a photo of a Japanese dude holding one almost as large as him ml to be fair, Japanese aren't known for their large stature (I know, I know, Sumo don't count)
Other species of salamander stop growing rapidly when they reach sexual maturity. Axolotls, as permanent tadpoles, don't stop growing at tadpole rates. (Though their gonads do develop and they can reproduce.) They get huge.
All salamanders can become axolotls, but a few species always do. The reason is that they have a defective thyroid gland. Insufficient dietary iodine is what turns other species into axolotls; those that only form axolotls can't use iodine even if they eat plenty.
What's really crazy is seeing one of the rare axolotls which do develop into an adult salamander. I remember somebody having a couple here on imgur a while back. (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞
From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axolotl) : "Neoteny has been observed in all salamander families in which it seems to be a survival mechanism, in aquatic environments only of mountain and hill, with little food and, in particular, with little iodine."
It is completely accurate, but in most species very rare to actually happen, as it only shows up among those that live in iodine-deficinet environments.
Thank you, yes. All species are capable of neoteny if deprived of iodine (some live in habitats where iodine sufficiency is not a sure thing), but it's rare outside of the species that have congenital thyroid defects and can't process iodine, that we call "axolotls" as a species.
OliverKlozoff1269
This is part of my apocalypse plan. I have 7 adult axolotl. Infinite food hack
Midgarmerc
I teach English in Japan and go to many different schools and you'd be surprised how many classrooms have these as class pets
TheDiscoVampire
Bobby360
And they get experimented on, mercilessly, because humans want their ability.
bambulina
"they're not only ornamental, they serve a vital purpose" soo... They're not ornamental?
ifyoutakemeseriouslythatsonyou
...they had me at gills.
Qpnao
Well they're pretty, thus ornamental
BlastyMcBlastblast
countbassy
Cut off its head, two grow in its place
erik70h0
You can leave out the "probably". Everywherr Homo Sapiens turns uo, the environment if f**ked
iMcFly
You can find them in lush caves and carry them in a bucket. They attack anything aquatic except turtles, dolphins, frogs and other axolotls, but they’ll wait 2 minutes between attacks. You can make them breed by giving them tropical fish, and the babies will grow into full sized adults in 20 minutes. There is a 0.083% chance that they will have a blue mutation, making blue axolotls really rare. I hope to get one someday and call it George.
boobsalot
Full size adult in 20 minutes ? That can't be right.
iMcFly
Every time you give the babies buckets of tropical fish then it will speed up the growth time by an additional 10%. https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTY1YjkxZmJlaXFhaG9zczJsMzlnZmtma3FsNXg1amx3bDJnemYxbTNnOGR5bW80ZSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/q0s0NVKnLk5WGvsLh3/giphy.mp4
BourbonBomb502
Always wanted one !¡
Poppypoppoppop
This exists
Volpe42
Its also extremely sensitive to chemicals
PriestofThor
Did you know how they get to be so smart?
PriestofThor
They axolotl questions
Nemacol
Video I posted several years ago of Olly.
spacecoyote897
Anyone ever read the cortazar short story? Always sticks with me
LamarTrillington
That story (which is only 11 paragraphs long) haunted me since reading it in high school in the 80s. I got an axolotl because of it, and it lived for 15 years.
thedewser
Moonthatspellsmoon
Is this the same artist that did the MOUTH. series? Looks like the same art style, similar voice acting
Theniyaal
Yes, it's by Natural Habitat Shorts. There are many, each based on an interesting characteristic or habit of various animals.
Moonthatspellsmoon
Cheers, thanks for the answer!
smashpro1
She still has the scissors after she hands them over!
Denvercoder09
They can regenerate scissors.
NickRivieraMD
This place needs a lot less of AI captions though
Midgarmerc
I'm pretty sure the video itself is AI and if it wasn't muted it would 100% have AI voices. The writing sounds like every AI generated video and the editing is 100k different stolen videos stitched together rapidly cutting from one another which is another telltale sign
Nebel01
got oneactually got one, and seriously love watching him swim around in his tank
BeaverOnFire
So if I put it into a blender, will I be able to create an army of axolots to conquer the world with? Does wolverine logic apply here? 🤔/S
mmmerf1
Okay, now I want an Axolotl to practice my spanish with. Also there is a 'Xoxcimilco' in Cancun which is part of the Xcaret nature parks and it's basically a canal boat cruise while tasting different foods and getting very drunk, (in my case, with a gaggle of Peruvian geandmothers who put my liquor tolerance to SHAME) and Axolotls would have made everything better.
Qpnao
They become salamanders if you give them the hormones to "mature". And this is how you pronounce it :) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d79EBJYJbuA
SCP1504
They used to be quite common a long time ago (…back in the 90’s). Back then, they only cost about $20 each. Very chill pets to have in an aquarium. But nowadays… they’re critically endangered, which sucks and is probably 100% our fault.
GrammarNationalSocialist
In 1998, a survey found six thousand axolotl per square kilometer in their native range. A 2023 survey found two. Not two per square kilometer; two as in "One, two". They're functionally EW now, with nearly all remaining specimens living captive as pets.
eepsheep
They were 'rare' before any of that started if you consider that they come from a single lake in Mexico.
tazij
Yep :( their skin absorbs toxins from the water and with the level of pollution some of their habits have faced it's been very hard for them to survive and procreate. The captive population is doing great though which is in part because scientists have bred them over and over for gene testing. They can attach bioluminescence to specific gene markers so axolotls born with that gene (usually for cancer research) will glow under blacklight which is a fast way to see that it's present
tazij
I used to work at a pet store that sold them and adopted a few myself that would glow under blacklight. They're amazing pets and I felt a fitting reminder that animal testing has long lasting repercussions, as I was getting my degree in bio-medical engineering at the time
notsureofanything
They have hyper specific temperature, and harness level to survive. If you know the species you can keep them for a long time but too many people see them at reptile shows and buy on impulse and put them in their fish tank and they die. The wild ones are going to die out because of acid rain messing up their ph zone and of course habitats destruction. Most the ones at trade shows are captive breed and NOT wild caught
Skitspel
Not much hope for the future the way we humans take care of our planet sadly...
TinyLiehon
Breeding programs have shown success in repopulating areas. If you can, see if you can support your local nature organization. It is fun and helps
teacupsquid
Only with some species. Not most.
Kbantar
Endangered in the wild. Their captive population is doing well.
TheDoctorAzAJ
There's literally millions in captivity/ research
Halfdiver
Captive animals don't really count when researchers estimate species state because they are not part of the species gene pool or reproduction potential and can be genetically from a lineage that is not anymore viable in the wild. Species must be protected in their natural habitat!
Kbantar
Sure, but without context, "critically endangered" implies all of the species.
wigglemywammybar
No need for probably. It is our fault. We’re a cretinous, greedy, thoughtless species. We take what we want with no thought of the consequences. The exotic pet trade has a huge amount to answer for ☹️
zoeytg
If we were only 'cretinous, greedy, thoughtless species,'' you would not have made your comment cause it wouldn't be possible for any of us to care for the loss of wild species. We are many things, and you are proof of that.
NR97420
The pet trade is not the problem, tbf, their natural environment has all but vanished (it's now Mexico City) and what's left is polluted
DrMaggot
You're giving life too much credit if you think any other living species would not oversaturate their living space given the opportunity.
We are just cursed with enough intelligence to understand the problem but not enough to overcome our evolutionary instincts of accumulation and need to fit the social group. It's depressing but its the core of the problem.
Volpe42
They are extremely sensitive to chemicals too
NinjablazerZero
We are not anything. Corporations and the rich are cretinous, greedy, and thoughtless.
Messages like this only make shit worse by convincing everyone that nothing can or will change.
The only reason things don't get better is because people like you convince others to stop trying, whether you intended it or not.
notsureofanything
Most at the pet shows are captive breed. The wild ones are dying out because of climate change altering the temperatures and causing acid rain that lowers the ph of their water which they cannot tolerate. Conservationist actually have a decent relationship with captive breeders as they breeders do extensive research into habituate conditions as most need ideal conditions to breed. The zoological societies and conservation take this and use it themselves for breeding programs.
notsureofanything
It’s not a perfect system and of course there are nut jobs in there that do not take the animal health into consideration when breeding (looking at the spider morph snake breeders 😡). But if someone is actively trying to set up captive breeding I’m ok with THEM having wild caught. If you just want a crockodile skink cause it looks like toothless so you buy a wild caught, you are garbage and should be reported to fish and wildlife (if that department still exists in trumps America…)
rusrsdude
Spider morph...??
ChewieQuixote12ParsecsDeepInAnElbow
I like how you didn't capitalize trump. You've inspired me to add ₜᵣᵤₘₚ to my pinned clipboard. I hope it becomes a thing cause he's so insecure I know it would bother him.
morningxafter
Okay, am I the only one who has never seen one with any kind of size reference? Every photo I’ve ever seen they’re just kind of chilling by themselves. I always assumed they were super teeny tiny, but they’re way bigger than I thought!
UAIESS
pachyderm
Same
KissTheLuckyEgg
This was my axolotl when I just got them!
kyttenmittons
It's literally in someone's hand in the opening shot. It may not be an official banana...but does provide some reference
RobBobertyYT
That was the point of their comment. They didn't know how big they were until this video.
LinnetTheGreen
My axolotl. Noodle, is approximately 40cm head to tail.
But he's also a fully grown adult and on the larger side for domestically bred axolotl
KissTheLuckyEgg
And now they are a lot bigger (2 yrs later) 😉
Clayman8
Now that mention it...
I did always think they were roughly the size of a mouse at best, or smaller
davebarton315101
They are small until they are exposed to iodine which triggers adulthood, withold iodine and they keep growing. I’ve heard of some that were nearly six feet.
PipWhipple
Look up other salamanders sometime, they can get huuge!
itsokimaussie
Wasn't there a photo of a Japanese dude holding one almost as large as him ml to be fair, Japanese aren't known for their large stature (I know, I know, Sumo don't count)
PipWhipple
Best I could find!
OliverOtter
Other species of salamander stop growing rapidly when they reach sexual maturity. Axolotls, as permanent tadpoles, don't stop growing at tadpole rates. (Though their gonads do develop and they can reproduce.) They get huge.
All salamanders can become axolotls, but a few species always do. The reason is that they have a defective thyroid gland. Insufficient dietary iodine is what turns other species into axolotls; those that only form axolotls can't use iodine even if they eat plenty.
EchoOfSnac
What's really crazy is seeing one of the rare axolotls which do develop into an adult salamander. I remember somebody having a couple here on imgur a while back. (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞
Totallyscrewedinaustin
Yeah, they turned into a morphed axlotle rescue by the end. They haven't posted in a few years, wonder how they axlotles are doing?
jamiedBreaker
Yes, that second half is all wildly incorrect, it seems. Which is odd, because the first half is on point.
LamarTrillington
"All salamanders can become axolotls" is a hell of a crazy thing to say, and completely, totally, 100% inaccurate.
OliverOtter
From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axolotl) : "Neoteny has been observed in all salamander families in which it seems to be a survival mechanism, in aquatic environments only of mountain and hill, with little food and, in particular, with little iodine."
It is completely accurate, but in most species very rare to actually happen, as it only shows up among those that live in iodine-deficinet environments.
IrateWolfe
I think maybe what they meant was all salamanders are capable of neoteny in the right conditions?
OliverOtter
Thank you, yes. All species are capable of neoteny if deprived of iodine (some live in habitats where iodine sufficiency is not a sure thing), but it's rare outside of the species that have congenital thyroid defects and can't process iodine, that we call "axolotls" as a species.