From BBC
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Science correspondent
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One of the world’s most endangered amphibians – the strange, perpetually smiling Mexican axolotl – has thrived after being released in artificial wetlands, scientists have discovered.
In a study that provides hope for the long-term future of a creature that was pushed to the brink of extinction, scientists released 18 captive-bred axolotls in restored and artificial wetland close to Mexico City.
The researchers fitted the animals with radio trackers and found that they “survived and foraged successfully at both sites” – even gaining weight.
Lead researcher Dr Alejandra Ramos from the Autonomous University of Baja California said this was an “amazing result”.
The findings are published in the journal PLoS One and they suggest, the researchers say, that the axoltol can be brought back to its native habitat.
The waters of Xochimilco – shaped by traditional farming practices and flushed with spring water from the mountains – used to teem with these amphibians.
But as Mexico City grew, urbanisation, pollution and other pressures pushed axolotls to the brink of extinction, with some estimates suggesting that there were as few as 50 left in the wild.
“If we lose this species, we lose part of our Mexican identity,” said co-lead researcher Dr Luis Zambrano from the National University of Mexico.
It is no exaggeration to call the axoltol an icon. Aztec legend has it that the creature is a god in salamander form – the Aztec god of fire and lightning,
