{"url":"https://creaturedata.com/animals/axolotl","data_as_of":"2026-11-11T10:46:03.145Z","schema_version":"0.1.0-fixture","summary":"The axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is a species in the family Ambystomatidae, order Caudata. Recorded adults reach 45.7 cm in length. It has been recorded in 11 countries, most often in Mexico, Canada and Germany. Its IUCN Red List status is Critically Endangered.","taxon":{"id":2431950,"slug":"axolotl","rank":"species","scientific_name":"Ambystoma mexicanum","authorship":"(Shaw & Nodder, 1798)","preferred_common_name":"Axolotl","common_names":[{"name":"Axolotl","lang":"en"},{"name":"Axolotl","lang":"fr"},{"name":"Axolotl","lang":"de"},{"name":"axolotl","lang":"nl"},{"name":"Axolotl","lang":"sv"},{"name":"メキシコサンショウウオ","lang":"ja"},{"name":"墨西哥钝口螈","lang":"zh"},{"name":"عفريت الماء","lang":"ar"},{"name":"Axolotl","lang":"sw"},{"name":"Мексиканская амбистома","lang":"ru"},{"name":"Ajolote","lang":"es"}],"synonyms":["Amblystoma weismanni","Axolotes guttata","Axolotus pisciformis","Gyrinus mexicanus","Hemitriton mexicanum","Hypochton pisciformis","Philhydrus pisciformis","Siredon axolotl","Siredon edule","Siren axolotl","Siren pisciformis","Sirenodon pisciformis","Stegoporus mexicanum","Stegoporus pisciformis","Triton mexicanus"],"lineage":[{"id":1,"rank":"kingdom","name":"Animalia"},{"id":44,"rank":"phylum","name":"Chordata"},{"id":131,"rank":"class","name":"Amphibia"},{"id":953,"rank":"order","name":"Caudata"},{"id":3101,"rank":"family","name":"Ambystomatidae"},{"id":2431549,"rank":"genus","name":"Ambystoma"}],"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Chordata","class":"Amphibia","order":"Caudata","family":"Ambystomatidae","genus":"Ambystoma","parent_id":2431549,"is_extinct":false,"body_mass_g":null,"body_mass_g_min":null,"body_mass_g_max":null,"body_length_cm":45.72,"body_length_cm_min":45.72,"body_length_cm_max":45.72,"height_cm":null,"height_cm_min":null,"height_cm_max":null,"wingspan_cm":null,"wingspan_cm_min":null,"wingspan_cm_max":null,"lifespan_year":null,"lifespan_year_min":null,"lifespan_year_max":null,"gestation_day":null,"gestation_day_min":null,"gestation_day_max":null,"incubation_day":null,"incubation_day_min":null,"incubation_day_max":null,"litter_size":null,"litter_size_min":null,"litter_size_max":null,"habitat":[],"main_food":[],"size_class":null,"iucn_category":"CR","countries":["MX","CA","DE","US","BR","JP","NZ","GB","GE","SE","UA"],"primary_image":{"url":"https://creaturedata.com/media/98.jpg","width":1280,"height":356,"creator":"Mariblubb","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","licence_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0","source_url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Axolotl_Wild_Type.jpg"},"completeness_score":81,"popularity_score":66,"has_image":true,"has_audio":false,"has_description":true,"groups":["amphibians","salamanders"]},"facts":{"body_mass_g":null,"body_mass_g_min":null,"body_mass_g_max":null,"body_length_cm":45.72,"body_length_cm_min":45.72,"body_length_cm_max":45.72,"height_cm":null,"height_cm_min":null,"height_cm_max":null,"wingspan_cm":null,"wingspan_cm_min":null,"wingspan_cm_max":null,"lifespan_year":null,"lifespan_year_min":null,"lifespan_year_max":null,"gestation_day":null,"gestation_day_min":null,"gestation_day_max":null,"incubation_day":null,"incubation_day_min":null,"incubation_day_max":null,"litter_size":null,"litter_size_min":null,"litter_size_max":null,"habitat":[],"main_food":[],"size_class":null},"trait_values":[{"trait_key":"body_length","value_num":45.72,"value_text":null,"unit":"cm","orig_value":"18","orig_unit":"in","sex":null,"life_stage":null,"measure":null,"source_release_id":"wikidata@2026-11-11","source_record_id":"Q22718#P2043","source_url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q22718#P2043","citation":"Wikidata contributors. Wikidata, the free knowledge base.","licence":"CC0 1.0","confidence":null}],"conservation":[{"scheme":"IUCN","category":"CR","trend":null,"scope":"global","as_of":null,"url":"https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Ambystoma%20mexicanum&searchType=species","source_release_id":"wikidata@2026-11-11","source_record_id":"Q22718#P141","source_url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q22718#P141"}],"common_names":[{"name":"Axolotl","lang":"en","region":null,"is_preferred":true,"source_release_id":"wikidata@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Axolotl","lang":"fr","region":null,"is_preferred":true,"source_release_id":"wikidata@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Axolotl","lang":"de","region":null,"is_preferred":true,"source_release_id":"wikidata@2026-11-11"},{"name":"axolotl","lang":"nl","region":null,"is_preferred":true,"source_release_id":"wikidata@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Axolotl","lang":"sv","region":null,"is_preferred":true,"source_release_id":"wikidata@2026-11-11"},{"name":"メキシコサンショウウオ","lang":"ja","region":null,"is_preferred":true,"source_release_id":"wikidata@2026-11-11"},{"name":"墨西哥钝口螈","lang":"zh","region":null,"is_preferred":true,"source_release_id":"wikidata@2026-11-11"},{"name":"عفريت الماء","lang":"ar","region":null,"is_preferred":true,"source_release_id":"wikidata@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Axolotl","lang":"sw","region":null,"is_preferred":true,"source_release_id":"wikidata@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Мексиканская амбистома","lang":"ru","region":null,"is_preferred":true,"source_release_id":"wikidata@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Ajolote","lang":"es","region":null,"is_preferred":true,"source_release_id":"wikidata@2026-11-11"}],"synonyms":[{"name":"Amblystoma weismanni","authorship":"Wiedersheim, 1879","status":"synonym","source_release_id":"gbif@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Axolotes guttata","authorship":"Owen, 1844","status":"synonym","source_release_id":"gbif@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Axolotus pisciformis","authorship":"(Shaw, 1802)","status":"synonym","source_release_id":"gbif@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Gyrinus mexicanus","authorship":"Shaw & Nodder, 1798","status":"synonym","source_release_id":"gbif@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Hemitriton mexicanum","authorship":"(Shaw & Nodder, 1798)","status":"synonym","source_release_id":"gbif@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Hypochton pisciformis","authorship":"(Shaw, 1802)","status":"synonym","source_release_id":"gbif@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Philhydrus pisciformis","authorship":"(Shaw, 1802)","status":"synonym","source_release_id":"gbif@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Siredon axolotl","authorship":"Wagler, 1830","status":"synonym","source_release_id":"gbif@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Siredon edule","authorship":"Dugès, 1888","status":"synonym","source_release_id":"gbif@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Siren axolotl","authorship":"(Wagler, 1830)","status":"synonym","source_release_id":"gbif@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Siren pisciformis","authorship":"Shaw, 1802","status":"synonym","source_release_id":"gbif@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Sirenodon pisciformis","authorship":"(Shaw, 1802)","status":"synonym","source_release_id":"gbif@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Stegoporus mexicanum","authorship":"(Shaw & Nodder, 1798)","status":"synonym","source_release_id":"gbif@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Stegoporus pisciformis","authorship":"(Shaw, 1802)","status":"synonym","source_release_id":"gbif@2026-11-11"},{"name":"Triton mexicanus","authorship":"(Shaw & Nodder, 1798)","status":"synonym","source_release_id":"gbif@2026-11-11"}],"countries":[{"kind":"country","code":"MX","name":"Mexico","slug":"mexico","establishment":null,"record_count":432,"source_release_id":"gbif_occ@2026-11-11"},{"kind":"country","code":"CA","name":"Canada","slug":"canada","establishment":null,"record_count":4,"source_release_id":"gbif_occ@2026-11-11"},{"kind":"country","code":"DE","name":"Germany","slug":"germany","establishment":null,"record_count":4,"source_release_id":"gbif_occ@2026-11-11"},{"kind":"country","code":"US","name":"United States","slug":"united-states","establishment":null,"record_count":3,"source_release_id":"gbif_occ@2026-11-11"},{"kind":"country","code":"BR","name":"Brazil","slug":"brazil","establishment":null,"record_count":2,"source_release_id":"gbif_occ@2026-11-11"},{"kind":"country","code":"JP","name":"Japan","slug":"japan","establishment":null,"record_count":2,"source_release_id":"gbif_occ@2026-11-11"},{"kind":"country","code":"NZ","name":"New Zealand","slug":"new-zealand","establishment":null,"record_count":2,"source_release_id":"gbif_occ@2026-11-11"},{"kind":"country","code":"GB","name":"United Kingdom","slug":"united-kingdom","establishment":null,"record_count":1,"source_release_id":"gbif_occ@2026-11-11"},{"kind":"country","code":"GE","name":"Georgia","slug":"georgia","establishment":null,"record_count":1,"source_release_id":"gbif_occ@2026-11-11"},{"kind":"country","code":"SE","name":"Sweden","slug":"sweden","establishment":null,"record_count":1,"source_release_id":"gbif_occ@2026-11-11"},{"kind":"country","code":"UA","name":"Ukraine","slug":"ukraine","establishment":null,"record_count":1,"source_release_id":"gbif_occ@2026-11-11"}],"media":[{"id":98,"taxon_id":2431950,"kind":"image","original_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Axolotl_Wild_Type.jpg","display_url":"https://creaturedata.com/media/98.jpg","width":1280,"height":356,"duration":null,"mime":"image/jpeg","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","licence_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0","licence_tier":"amber","share_alike":true,"creator":"Mariblubb","credit":"Own work","attribution_text":"Mariblubb · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons","source_id":"commons","source_record_id":"File:Axolotl Wild Type.jpg","source_url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Axolotl_Wild_Type.jpg","sex":null,"life_stage":null,"quality_score":null,"is_primary":true,"display_ok":true,"stored_key":"98.jpg"},{"id":99,"taxon_id":2431950,"kind":"image","original_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/6_maja_06_r._ZOO_204.jpg","display_url":"https://creaturedata.com/media/99.jpg","width":1280,"height":960,"duration":null,"mime":"image/jpeg","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","licence_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/","licence_tier":"amber","share_alike":true,"creator":"Monika Korzeniec","credit":"Own work","attribution_text":"Monika Korzeniec · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons","source_id":"commons","source_record_id":"File:6 maja 06 r. ZOO 204.jpg","source_url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:6_maja_06_r._ZOO_204.jpg","sex":null,"life_stage":null,"quality_score":null,"is_primary":false,"display_ok":true,"stored_key":"99.jpg"},{"id":100,"taxon_id":2431950,"kind":"image","original_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/202501_Axolotl.svg","display_url":"https://creaturedata.com/media/100.png","width":1280,"height":1120,"duration":null,"mime":"image/svg+xml","licence":"CC BY 4.0","licence_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0","licence_tier":"green","share_alike":false,"creator":"DataBase Center for Life Science (DBCLS)","credit":"https://doi.org/10.7875/togopic.2025.007","attribution_text":"DataBase Center for Life Science (DBCLS) · CC BY 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons","source_id":"commons","source_record_id":"File:202501 Axolotl.svg","source_url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:202501_Axolotl.svg","sex":null,"life_stage":null,"quality_score":null,"is_primary":false,"display_ok":true,"stored_key":"100.png"},{"id":101,"taxon_id":2431950,"kind":"image","original_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Ambystoma_mexicanum_Natural_History_Museum_University_of_Pisa_%28cropped%29.jpg","display_url":"https://creaturedata.com/media/101.jpg","width":1280,"height":854,"duration":null,"mime":"image/jpeg","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","licence_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0","licence_tier":"amber","share_alike":true,"creator":"Mattia Nocciola","credit":"Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa","attribution_text":"Mattia Nocciola · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons","source_id":"commons","source_record_id":"File:Ambystoma mexicanum Natural History Museum University of Pisa (cropped).jpg","source_url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ambystoma_mexicanum_Natural_History_Museum_University_of_Pisa_(cropped).jpg","sex":null,"life_stage":null,"quality_score":null,"is_primary":false,"display_ok":true,"stored_key":"101.jpg"}],"text_blocks":[{"lang":"en","section":"intro","body_text":"The axolotl ( ; from Classical Nahuatl: āxōlōtl [aːˈʃoːloːtɬ] ; Ambystoma mexicanum) is a species of mole salamander. It is neotenic, reaching sexual maturity without undergoing metamorphosis, and the adults remain fully aquatic with obvious external gills. Axolotls may be difficult to distinguish from the larval stage of other neotenic adult mole salamanders, in particular the tiger salamander, or other species such as mudpuppies.\nAxolotls originally inhabited a system of interconnected wetlands and lakes in the highlands of Mexico. They were known to inhabit the smaller lakes of Xochimilco and Chalco and are presumed to have inhabited the larger lakes of Texcoco and Zumpango. The desiccation of these lakes, initiated by the Aztecs and accelerated during the 20th century, has led to the destruction of much of the axolotl's natural habitat, an area now largely occupied by Mexico City. Wild axolotls have been driven to near extinction by the introduction of invasive species such as tilapia and carp; with a decreasing population of around 50 to 1,000 adult individuals, the species has been assessed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is listed under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).\nThere currently exists a large captive population of axolotls, with specimens used extensively in scientific research because of their unusual ability to regenerate body parts, including limbs, gills and parts of their eyes and brains. The species is also used as a model organism. As aquarium technology has developed, axolotls have become a common exhibit in zoos and public aquariums, as well as an occasional pet in home aquariums. The axolotl is a popular subject in contemporary culture, inspiring a number of works and characters in the media.","source_id":"enwiki","source_url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axolotl","revision":1383221607,"licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","licence_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/","licence_tier":"amber","share_alike":true,"display_ok":true,"attribution":"Wikipedia contributors, “Axolotl”","retrieved_at":"2026-11-11"}],"external_ids":[{"source":"gbif","label":"GBIF","external_id":"2431950","url":"https://www.gbif.org/species/2431950","match_type":"exact_accepted","confidence":1},{"source":"wikidata","label":"Wikidata","external_id":"Q22718","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q22718","match_type":"exact_accepted","confidence":1},{"source":"enwiki","label":"Wikipedia","external_id":"Axolotl","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axolotl","match_type":"external_id","confidence":1},{"source":"ncbi","label":"NCBI Taxonomy","external_id":"8296","url":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=8296","match_type":"external_id","confidence":1},{"source":"itis","label":"ITIS","external_id":"586244","url":"https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=586244","match_type":"external_id","confidence":1},{"source":"eol","label":"Encyclopedia of Life","external_id":"1019571","url":"https://eol.org/pages/1019571","match_type":"external_id","confidence":1},{"source":"inaturalist","label":"iNaturalist","external_id":"26777","url":"https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/26777","match_type":"external_id","confidence":1},{"source":"worms","label":"WoRMS","external_id":"1750640","url":"https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1750640","match_type":"external_id","confidence":1}],"sources":[{"source_id":"gbif","name":"GBIF Backbone Taxonomy","url":"https://www.gbif.org/dataset/d7dddbf4-2cf0-4f39-9b2a-bb099caae36c","licence":"CC BY 4.0","licence_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","citation":"GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org.","release":"live API 2026-11-11","retrieved_at":"2026-11-11"},{"source_id":"wikidata","name":"Wikidata","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/","licence":"CC0 1.0","licence_url":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/","citation":"Wikidata contributors. Wikidata, the free knowledge base.","release":"live API 2026-11-11","retrieved_at":"2026-11-11"},{"source_id":"gbif_occ","name":"GBIF occurrence aggregates (CC0 and CC BY records only)","url":"https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search","licence":"CC BY 4.0","licence_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","citation":"GBIF.org occurrence search, country facet counts restricted to CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 records.","release":"live API 2026-11-11","retrieved_at":"2026-11-11"},{"source_id":"commons","name":"Wikimedia Commons","url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/","licence":"Per file","licence_url":null,"citation":"Wikimedia Commons contributors. Licence and creator recorded per file.","release":"live API 2026-11-11","retrieved_at":"2026-11-11"},{"source_id":"enwiki","name":"English Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","licence_url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/","citation":"Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.","release":"live API 2026-11-11","retrieved_at":"2026-11-11"}]}