The axolotl is an endemic amphibian of the Xochimilco lake area in Mexico City. Its amputated limbs regenerate without a problem, which is why it is of enormous scientific interest. It has a tail, legs. Swim and walk. He has a round face and seems to always smile. Unfortunately it is in danger of extinction.
In the lake basin of the Valley of Mexico, for more than 300 million years, one day more, one day less, there has lived a fascinating amphibian called the axolotl or axolotl, which in Nahuatl means “water monster”. And more than 2,000 years ago, in that place, the first settlers created artificial islands called chinampas and considered the axolotl a sacred animal, brother of the god Quetzalcóatl. Amphibians, like axolotls, were the first living beings to come out of the water and set foot on the Earth with four legs; They are long before the dinosaurs.
In Mexico there are 17 species of axolotls that live in wetlands and all kinds of bodies of water. Dr. Olin Olivia Rodríguez Sánchez, from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), explains that of the 17 species that exist in Mexico, four are neotenic, that is, they do not go through the metamorphosis process and remain in the water all their lives. .
All species of axolotls have lungs and gills. When there is drought, axolotls lose their gills and become salamanders, but the Ambystoma Mexicanum, endemic to present-day Mexico City, never becomes a salamander: it always lives in water and retains its larval form from birth to death. . On his face there is always “a smile” that makes him very nice and the creators of the Pokemon Upah were inspired by him.
Amazing ability to regenerate
The axolotl’s tissue regeneration capacity is impressive. Dr. José Antonio Ocampo, research professor at theCenter for Biological and Aquaculture Research of Cuemanco (CIBAC), of the UAM, comments that “The axolotl quickly and completely regenerates any amputated limb, heart, lung, nervous system and spinal cord injuries. At the UAM campus Xochimilco and Cuajimalpa, the genes of the axolotl are analyzed for use in cancer treatments.
For his part, Dr. Fernando Gual, director of the Chapultepec Zoo and the Anfibium Museum, adds that “A wound from an axolotl heals in eight hours. The lesion forms a bag full of stem cells that regenerate the area in a matter of days. The blastoma in the amputated part and with stem cells regenerate bone, nerves, muscles and skin. The genetic material of the axolotl is 10 times greater than that of humans and there is the key that is studied in all public universities and Mexican research centers looking for a cure for cancer and Alzheimer’s.”
“Here at the Anfibium, Axolotl Museum and Amphibian Conservation Center (opened just on January 23, 2023), we studied the hematology of the axolotl and discovered that it has the largest erythrocytes (red blood cells) in the animal world, much larger than humans,” he continues. However, the studies are in the experimental phase and have not yet been applied to human medicine.
Danger of extinction
“Currently there are more axolotls in zoos and aquariums than in Xochimilco,” says Dr. Gual. Xochimilco was declared a UNAM heritage by UNESCO and the protected ecological zone has 2,500 hectares.
Anfibium, in the Chapultepec Zoo, houses species from the Valley of Mexico, Pátzcuaro, Toluca, Lerma and Zacapú (Michoacán), all of them in danger of extinction. “The contamination of the waters by garbage, agrochemicals, as well as the introduction of fish such as carp and tilapia to the Xochimilco lake, have brought the axolotl to the brink of extinction,” said Dr. Ocampo.
“The native fish of Xochimilco no longer exist, they went extinct 80 years ago, as well as the clams,” says the biologist while staring at the dark water of the channel in Cuemanco. And when asked if they plan to release the adult axolotls they have, he answers: “No, because the water is highly contaminated and we couldn’t monitor it, which is the most important thing for us. Maybe in the future, if the conditions are right, we will do it”.
Medicinal axolotls?
Román Zamora, a taxi driver, remembers that when he was a child, in the 1960s, “the water was so crystal clear and clean in the canals of Xochimilco that we could see the fish, the axolotls and the bottom of the canal. People came to the markets with little fish and axolotls in a bucket of water and sold them as pets. The poor animals died on the third day because we did not give them the correct food. I also remember that in Xochimilco they made axolotl tamales and there was even a cough syrup.”
Dr. Ocampo explains that until 50 years ago in Xochimilco many foods were prepared with axolotls because they were abundant and were part of the daily diet such as tamales, revitalizing broths and the famous axolotl syrup against coughs. “Fortunately, they are no longer prepared, although there is still a syrup that retains the name ‘Ajolotiux’, which is mint, propolio and honey, but they no longer contain axolotl”, points out the head of the CIBAC Project.
the axolotl nuns
Dr. Olin Olivia Rodríguez Sánchez, from the UAM, has known Sister Ofelia for a long time, a nun from the Convent of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, who is an expert in the care of axolotls. The nuns have a certified farm recognized by the authorities and they do make an Achoque (axolotl) cough syrup.
“I think they [las monjas] They are the people who know the most about the care of axolotls; in fact, they have given us advice on what to do when our horses get sick, how to care for them. They manage a colony of a species that is related to the one in Xochimilco. They have never revealed to us the recipe for their very popular and coveted cough syrup with axolotls. That is a secret that they jealously guard,” confides Dr. Rodríguez.
Does this syrup work? “People have a lot of faith in it and since it is made in a convent, it has divine help” replies Dr. Ocampo amused. Dr. Fernando Gual affirms that probably in addition to honey, expectorant herbs and propolio, the secret lies in the mucus that covers the skin of the axolotls, which is an antibiotic.
Not only the axolotl in danger
Dr. Rodríguez warns that the poor quality of the water greatly affects the axolotls, be it through detergents, agrochemicals, insecticides, etc., since they absorb everything through their skin. “Axolotl skin is more permeable to pollutants than human skin, which is protected by keratin. We are currently facing a fungus that already affects amphibians on all continents. It is called a chytrid (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis). Amphibians depend on the skin to breathe, to live. At Anfibium we are developing and applying PCR tests for all types of amphibians and thus monitor and combat the fungus, ”she emphasizes andDr. Gual.
The axolotl helps maintain an ecological balance by preventing worms and flies from becoming a plague. By protecting axolotl habitat, we protect 138 more species of vertebrates, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. “My house is your house. If I take care of the axolotl’s house, I take care of mine” concludes Dr. Fernando Gual.
