Axolotl (water dragon) in pet stores "Live Corner"

8000 - gray, 10000 white We are located at the address: Almaty - Suleimenov str., 24A Axolotl (lat. Ambystoma mexicanum) is one of the most fantastic animals that you can have in your aquarium. It is a neotenic salamander larva, meaning that it reaches sexual maturity without becoming an adult. Axolotl dragons live in lakes Xochimilco (Xochimilco) and Chalco (Chalco) in Mexico, however, as a result of rapid urbanization, the range is shrinking. Luckily, they are fairly easy to breed in captivity and are of scientific value due to their uniqueness, they can regenerate gills, tail and even limbs. The study of this feature has led to the fact that quite a lot of them are kept in captivity, and many color forms have also been bred. The homeland of axolotls is the ancient system of water channels and lakes in Mexico City. All their lives they live in the water, not getting out on land. They prefer deep places in canals and lakes, with abundant aquatic vegetation, as they depend on aquatic plants. In the process of reproduction, they attach eggs to aquatic plants, and then fertilize them. Lake Xochimilco is famous for its floating gardens or chinampas, essentially strips of land between canals where locals grow vegetables and flowers. This ancient system of irrigation canals and lakes is where axolotls live. By the way, translated from the ancient language of the Aztecs, axolotl means a water monster. Before the Spanish invasion, they were eaten by the Aztecs, the meat was considered medicinal, and tasted like eel. Aquarium axolotls are larvae of the ambystoma found only in Mexico, at an altitude of 2,290 meters above sea level. This is a stocky salamander, usually its length is from 90 to 350 mm from the tail to the tip of the muzzle. Males are usually larger than females due to their longer tail. Ambistomes exist in two forms: neotenic (actually the axolotl itself, in the form of a larva living in the water and having external gills) and terrestrial, fully developed with smaller gills. A sexually mature axolotl can be up to 450 mm long, but is usually about 230 mm long, and specimens larger than 300 mm are rare. Axolotls grow significantly larger than other neotenic salamander larvae, and reach sexual maturity while still in larval state. A characteristic feature of the appearance is large external gills, in the form of three processes on the sides of the head. They also have small teeth, but they serve to hold prey, and not tear it. Lifespan is up to 20 years, but the average is about 10 years in captivity. Keeping axolotls at home is quite simple, but there are moments that significantly affect life expectancy in captivity. The first and most important is temperature. Axolotls are cold-water amphibians and high temperatures are stressful for them. It may seem strange that they are native to Mexico and cannot tolerate high temperatures. In fact, their habitat is located at high altitude, and the temperature there is below h