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Encyclopedia / Axolotls / Axolotl
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Variations

9 kinds · tap one for a closer look

Axolotl

Ambystoma mexicanum · Mexican walking fish, Exelato, Axolotol, Axo

Cold water only, no fish: fish nibble gills and axolotls eat small fish.

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30 cmAdult size ✓
15–18 °CTemperature ✓
6.5–8pH ✓
38 LSmallest tank ✓
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This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.

Not recommended
  • Axolotl should be kept without other species.
  • They need different temperatures (15–18 °C vs 21–25 °C). No setting suits both.
Not recommended
  • Axolotl should be kept without other species.
  • They need different temperatures (15–18 °C vs 23–29 °C). No setting suits both.
Not recommended
  • Axolotl should be kept without other species.
  • They need different temperatures (15–18 °C vs 20–28 °C). No setting suits both.
Facts checked against sources on 16 Oct 2026. ✓ means a source backs it; ? means no reliable source yet. See sources

Care and water

Hardness ?Unknown
Group size ✓Can live alone
Temperament ?Peaceful
Swims at ?Bottom
Care level ?Moderate
Diet Carnivore
Lifespan ✓10 years
Size in shops 5–10 cm
Growth Medium

Behavior

Cold water only, no fish: fish nibble gills and axolotls eat small fish. Use sand, not gravel.

Check your local laws. US federal: genus Ambystoma (axolotl included) has been listed as injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act since 10 January 2025, so importing axolotls into the US, or shipping them to or from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, DC and US territories, needs a permit; moving them between the 49 continental states is not banned by this rule. Some US states have their own rules (not checked). CITES Appendix II (see nativeRange note). Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.

  • sand

Food

Axolotl pellets, earthworms, bloodworms.

Tap a food to see what it is.

Male or female

Cannot be sexed until mature at about one year: males have large swollen glands around the vent and straighter bodies; females are round and plump without them.

Health

Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.

Breeding

Direct developer · Moderate

Females lay eggs 12-20 hours after mating; in the lab, changes in day length trigger spawning (no hormones needed).

Pairing

Buy a pair from different lines. Males have a swollen vent.

Setup

A 150 L cool tank at 14-18 C with hides and soft sand.

What starts it

Cooler water and a change of season.

Eggs

Several hundred to over 1,000 eggs per spawning; they hatch in about 2 weeks at 20 °C, up to 4 weeks when cooler.

Raising the fry

Larvae eat brine shrimp, then worms. Separate by size.

Common mistakes
  • Warm water
  • Mixing sizes, causing nipping
  • Gravel in tank
Full breeding guide, day-by-day plan and simulator →

Where it lives in the wild

RegionValley of Mexico – central Mexico
Rivers and lakesLake Xochimilco canals (formerly also Lake Chalco), Mexico City
HabitatCool, weedy lake canals with soft mud bottoms
Native rangeAbout 30 km across
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The story of the axolotl

A salamander that keeps larval traits such as external gills for life, can regrow limbs, tail and organs, and is Critically Endangered in the wild.

The axolotl was described by Shaw and Nodder in 1798, at first in a different genus. In 1864 a French expedition shipped live axolotls to Paris, and many of today's laboratory and pet lines trace back to that early stock. It is now kept worldwide, while its wild home has shrunk to the canals of Xochimilco.

First described by George Shaw & Frederick P. Nodder in 1798. Named for Name comes from Nahuatl, the Aztec language; mexicanum simply means 'of Mexico'.

  • Axolotls usually stay in their larval form for life, keeping feathery external gills even as breeding adults.
  • They can regrow lost limbs, parts of the spinal cord and other tissues, making them famous in research.
  • Wild axolotls are dark and mottled; pink, white and golden pets are colour forms bred in captivity.

Sources

16 facts checked with sources