Everything Guests Need To Know About Axolotls Before Visiting The Top Aquarium In Dallas, Texas, For Children And Family Fun
Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) are the Peter Pans of amphibians. Due to their neotenic genetics, which causes them to retain their adolescent features, axolotls appear never to grow up. Due to their niche natural environment, axolotls have fan-like external gills protruding from their heads and four underdeveloped legs. Axolotls can also regenerate and transplant their limbs, a magic-like ability rare among aquatic creatures.
It is no mystery why the axolotl has become the world’s favorite salamander. Even the ancient Aztec people treasured axolotl, naming them after Xolotl, an Aztec god. The axolotl also appears on the 50 Mexican peso. Modern-day platforms like TikTok and the popular video game Minecraft have brought axolotls even further into the public eye.
The axolotl is one of the strangest-looking aquatic creatures in the world. At Children’s Aquarium Dallas, visitors can witness axolotls up close and gain insight into their strange lives and characteristics. Children’s Aquarium Dallas guests can appreciate their delicate lives and ensure their survival by understanding the natural environment and threats axolotls face.
Appearance of Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum)
An axolotl is an aquatic neotenic salamander, meaning it retains its juvenile features into adulthood. These odd-looking aquatic creatures have broad heads, lidless eyes, a large tail, and underdeveloped limbs well into adulthood. To add to their strange appearance, three pairs of external gill stacks stand behind their heads, extending like a large fan.
The popularization of axolotls as pets has caused many people to imagine these creatures are naturally white or pink. While axolotls vary in color, they are naturally brown or tan in their wild habitat. Axolotls’ various colors are actually genetic mutations that rarely occur in the wild.
Genetically mutated axolotls are attractive in the aquatic pet industry for their rarity and are often selectively bred in captivity. Axolotls have seven primary gene mutations that breeders crossbreed into two- or three-gene variations.
Leucistic Axolotl Gene Mutation
Leucistic axolotls have a genetic mutation that causes white or light pink skin. These axolotls usually have white or light pink bodies, bright pink external gills, and dark eyes.
Axanthic Axolotl Gene Mutation
Axanthic axolotls have a genetic mutation that prevents them from producing yellow pigments. These axolotls are a greyish color all over with dark spots and eyes.
Albino Axolotl Gene Mutation
Albino axolotls have a genetic mutation that removes all skin pigmentation, even in the eyes. These axolotls have light yellow-tinted bodies with light or red eyes and dark pink external gills.
Copper Axolotl Gene Mutation
Copper axolotls have a form of albinism that causes spots of orange pigmentation and reflective red eyes. These axolotls have yellowish bodies with dark orange spots, reflective eyes, and copper external gills.
Hypomelanistic Axolotl Gene Mutation
Hypomelanistic axolotls have a gene mutation that causes a lower production of melanin. These axolotls have yellow bodies, reflective eyes, and brown spots.
Melanoid Axolotl Gene Mutation
Melanoid axolotls have a genetic mutation that causes high skin pigmentation and dark eyes. These axolotls have dark grey or black bodies, eyes, and external gills.
Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) Axolotl Gene Mutation
Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) axolotls were lab-made by inserting fluorescent jellyfish genes into their genomes. This artificial genetic mutation causes GFP axolotls to glow bright green under fluorescent light.
Feeding Behaviors and Diet of Axolotls
Axolotls have tiny teeth that are barely visible, making suction their primary feeding method. Despite this passive eating style, axolotls are carnivorous, consuming small fish, mollusks, and insects. As nocturnal feeders, axolotls locate their small prey by smell and suction them into their stomachs like a vacuum.
The Life Cycle and Life Span of Axolotls
Axolotls start their lives as eggs and can live up to 15 years. Until adulthood, axolotls resemble their close relative, the tiger salamander. Tiger salamanders metamorphose to live on land, leaving their gills and fins behind. Axolotls never make the transition, living in water their whole lives.
Axolotls’ life cycle begins and ends in the water. The female axolotl lays between 300 to 1,000 eggs on plants or rocks to ensure survival. After two weeks of gestation, the axolotl eggs hatch. Axolotls must then face their environment independently. The cycle begins again once axolotls reach peak reproductive maturity at 18 to 27 months old and up to 18 inches long.
Regenerative Power of Axolotls
Many marvel at axolotls because of their interesting appearance, but they hold a unique power beneath the surface. Despite their lack of metamorphosis, axolotls grow steadily throughout their lives. As a result, these curious aquatic creatures can regenerate their limbs and organs.
Unlike humans, who heal by scarring, axolotls can regenerate missing limbs over a few months without leaving a scar. They also use this regenerative power to restore vital organs such as their brains, tails, and nervous systems.
Axolotls can also successfully utilize regeneration to transplant organs from other axolotls. These transplants can also occur in vital organs like the eyes, brain, and heart with full functionality. These strange regenerative abilities have garnered interest from medical professionals, making axolotls desirable specimens for scientific research.
Natural Habitat and Conservation Status of Axolotls
Like most neotenic species, Axolotls have a particular natural habitat — a body of water with dangerous on-land surroundings. For over 10,000 years, axolotls only lived in what is now Mexico City’s Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco. However, due to modern environmental threats, these lakes are no longer as habitable as they used to be. Lake Chalco is completely drained, and Lake Xochimilco has been reduced to canals, small lakes, and wetlands.
Axolotls are sensitive to the water they live in and need a specific, stable natural habitat to procreate. The effects of flood control, urbanization, pollution, and invasive species have disrupted Lake Xochimilco, axolotls’ only natural habitat necessary for their survival. These modern threats have caused the wild population of axolotls to dwindle.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) estimates that only 50 to 1,000 adult axolotls live in the wild. As of 2020, axolotls joined the IUCN’s list of critically endangered species. Today, the majority of the world’s axolotl population lives in captivity.
The Intersection of Legend and Truth: Axolotl in Ancient Lore and Mytholog
Axolotls and their native environment in the ancient lakes of Mexico are linked to worlds of ancient lore. As the first known people to discover axolotls, the Aztecs gave them their interesting namesake. Axolotl translates to “water dog” or “water monster” in the Aztec’s native Nahuatl language, fitting for the odd neotenic salamander.
Axolotls’ name also stems from the Aztec god of fire, lightning, deformities, and death, Xolotl. Often depicted as a man with a dog head, Xolotl was a guide for souls passing through the Aztec underworld. The Aztecs believed that to avoid being sacrificed in the nourishment of the Fifth Sun, Xolotl transformed into an axolotl.
The axolotls’ modern-day association with transformation and the preservation of life is rooted in these Aztec myths. Axolotls’ uncanny ability to regenerate and transplant body parts also supports symbolism rooted in the Aztecs’ ancient lore and mythology.
Visit Children’s Aquarium Dallas and Discover Axolotls in Dallas, Texas
Children’s Aquarium Dallas offers a captivating experience for aquatic enthusiasts eager to explore the fascinating world of axolotls. Located in the heart of Dallas, Texas, Children’s Aquarium Dallas is celebrated for its commitment to showcasing marine life in an engaging and informative manner.
At Children’s Aquarium Dallas, visitors explore through carefully curated exhibits dedicated to showcasing the lives of axolotls. These odd-looking aquatic creatures, known for their strange features and regenerative abilities, are a sight to behold. When visiting Children’s Aquarium Dallas, guests gain an up-close and personal view of how axolotls navigate their aquatic environment and learn about their incredible life cycle and conservation efforts.
Children’s Aquarium Dallas: A Family-Friendly Destination in Dallas, Texas
Children’s Aquarium Dallas is a family-friendly destination, making it an ideal spot for fun things to do with kids in Dallas, Texas, along with surrounding cities like Frisco, Plano, Garland, Grapevine, Irving, Arlington, Ft. Worth, Mesquite, and Richardson. Children’s Aquarium Dallas draws visitors from all over Texas and attracts many from Southwest Oklahoma and Northwest Louisiana.
It’s Fun and Easy to Visit Children’s Aquarium Dallas
Children’s Aquarium Dallas is known for being easy to visit with kids, offering free and close parking, a short walk to Children’s Aquarium Dallas’s entrance, and being open all year round. The aquarium’s indoor exhibits provide a cool retreat during the hot weather, making Children’s Aquarium Dallas a top destination for families looking for fun and affordable activities. The price point for tickets is much lower than that of the other aquariums in the Dallas area, ensuring that families can enjoy a full day of exploration at Children’s Aquarium Dallas without breaking the bank.
