Axolotls may look a lot like something a 5-year-old could draw. But they are quite scientifically advanced. ... The mating season is between March and June when water temps are stable.

Can Mexico bring back the endangered axolotl? Pollution has cut the amphibian’s numbers by 99.5 percent, but scientists believe Mexico’s cultural icon could return.

Under ideal conditions, an axolotl could heal itself from snake or heron biting and survive the dry season buried in the mud. But a proper aquatic environment is needed for that to happen.

A worker shows an axolotl in a hatchery to preserve the species on August 19, 2019 in Mexico City, Mexico. CREDIT: Eyepix/NurPhoto via Getty Images. NurPhoto ...

MEXICO CITY, Mexico — Legend has it the axolotl was not always an amphibian. Long before it became Mexico’s most beloved salamander and efforts to prevent its extinction flourished, it was a ...

But wild axolotls, endemic to a single lake in Mexico, are critically endangered due to degradation of their native wetlands, with only 50 to 1,000 individuals left in the wild.

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 ...

For that reason, captive-bred axolotls—which are a light pink in color—are common research subjects for biologists, who have long been fascinated by their ability to defy aging. (Learn how you ...