Axolotls are aquatic salamanders native to Xochimilco in southern Mexico City and its species is critically endangered. Once numbering 6,000 per square kilometer in its native habitat in 1998, wild axolotl populations dropped to only 36 individuals by 2014.
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00:00This is an axolotl, an aquatic salamander native to a particular area of southern Mexico City,
00:08and its species is critically endangered. Once numbering 6,000 of them per square kilometer
00:13in its native habitat in 1998, wild axolotl populations dropped to only 36 individuals
00:19by 2014. Major threats include invasive species like carp and tilapia, water pollution, and
00:25stress from human noise and activity, which is why conservationists are now trying to locate some
00:30of the creatures in the wild. The only problem is they haven't found any of them by traditional
00:34means as of yet, with one of the members of the research team saying about it,
00:38so far we haven't found any axolotls. However, DNA analysis offers a chance. That involves identifying
00:44the creature's DNA within samples taken from the surrounding area, pointing to them being present
00:48despite none having been found. The largest identified threat to those little salamanders
00:52are the invasive carp and tilapia fish that have been introduced to the area. Carp eat axolotl eggs
00:58while tilapia eat their juveniles. Axolotl's extraordinary regenerative abilities make them
01:03important to scientific research into tissue and organ regeneration.