Beneath the tourist gondolas in the remains of a great Aztec lake lives a creature that resembles a monster — and a Muppet — with its slimy tail, plumage-like gills and mouth that curls into an odd smile.
The axolotl, also known as the `water monster` and the `Mexican walking fish,` was a key part of Aztec legend and diet. Against all odds, it survived until now amid Mexico City`s urban sprawl in the polluted canals of Lake Xochimilco, now a Venice-style destination for revelers poled along by Mexican gondoliers, or trajineros, in brightly painted party boats.
But scientists are racing to save the foot-long salamander from extinction, a victim of the draining of its lake habitat and deteriorating water quality. In what may be the final blow, non-native fish introduced into the canals are eating its lunch — and its babies.
Image: An Axolotl salamander, or Ambystoma mexicanum, swims in a tank at the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, Sept. 27, 2008. Scientists warn that the roughly foot-long amphibian is just a few years away from extinction, a victim of the draining of its lake habitat, deteriorating water quality, and what is perhaps the final stake in its heart: the invasion of non-native fish species that are eating its eggs and larva, and competing with it for food.
Text & images: AP
