Expedition 🇲🇽 Mexico
Axolotl in Mexico
The smiling salamander — a Mexican lake creature that never grows up and can regenerate its brain.
The species
The axolotl is one of science's most remarkable animals — a salamander that retains its larval form throughout life, never undergoing metamorphosis to leave the water. With feathery external gills and a permanent smile, it has become an internet icon and laboratory superstar.
Habitat in Mexico
Freshwater lakes, canals, and wetlands in the Valley of Mexico once held abundant axolotls. Today they survive mainly in Lake Xochimilco's canal system, threatened by pollution, invasive fish, and urban expansion.
Where to spot one
Lake Xochimilco
Mexico City
Ancient Aztec canal system — the last wild refuge of the axolotl among chinampas floating gardens.
Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
Michoacán
Oyamel fir forests where millions of monarch butterflies overwinter from November to March.
Calakmul Biosphere Reserve
Campeche
Mayan rainforest — jaguars, toucans, and howler monkeys in one of Mexico's largest protected areas.
Sea of Cortez
Baja California
Jacques Cousteau's 'aquarium of the world' — whales, whale sharks, and sea lions in rich Pacific waters.
Conservation status
Axolotls are Critically Endangered in the wild, with perhaps fewer than 1,000 remaining in Lake Xochimilco. Captive breeding for research and the pet trade keeps the species alive outside Mexico.
Keep exploring
Free on iOS
Log the Axolotl in Mexico
Spot one in the wild — scan it in Catch'Um to log your rare discovery.