Unique Mexican amphibian nears extinction

By John Platt in 60-Second Extinction Countdown

Urban growth is quickly driving one of the world’s most bizarre creatures into extinction. According to a new study, the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), a Mexican amphibian that never metamorphoses past its larval stage, has seen a 90 percent population drop in the last four years. Only an estimated 700 to 1,200 axolotls now remain. The species was already listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The study, led by Luis Zambrano González of the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City, was published in the August 18 edition of the journal Biological Conservation.

The axolotl exists only in the Xochimilco region of Mexico, in an area just 10 square
kilometers in size. The region supplies much of Mexico City’s water, and the study found that water quality in the region has declined in the past decade as the metropolis has expanded, putting pressure on the axolotl’s sole habitat.

Introduced aquatic species like carp and tilapia have also created competition for the axolotl’s food supply. They also eat the amphibian’s eggs. …

The population of a unique Mexican amphibian drops 90 percent in four years