Kamloops wildlife park welcomes fascinating axolotl

A unique animal called an axolotl was taken into the BC Wildlife Park recently after a member of the public was unable to meet its specialized care needs.

An aquatic salamander native to freshwater lakes and wetlands in southern Mexico City, these creatures have a distinct appearance and unusual traits.

Unlike other salamanders the axolotl doesn’t go through metamorphosis to allow it to leave the water and live on the land, rather it stays living in the water for life, according the Natural History Museum. In the wild, they eat molluscs, worms, insect larvae and crustaceans and can live up to 15 years reaching up to 30 centimetres long and weighing roughly 100 grams.

The axolotl has the remarkable ability to regenerate parts of its body including limbs, eyes and vital organs, making them a subject of scientific research in labs around the world in hopes it will someday allow humans to regrow limbs.

One theory to how this happens is the lack of metamorphosis. In most animals some genes are only active during the developmental stages to adulthood while organs and limbs are growing and then become inactive. In axolotls, it appears these genes may get activated again when it gets injured.

In captivity, the axolotls require specialized care with specific water chemistry and a managed diet, which the new female axolotl at the BC Wildlife Park is receiving. It won’t be displayed until it is used to its new environment.

Go here to watch for the park’s updates on the axolotl including when it will be ready for visitors.