02 SISTERS OF THE SACRED SALAMANDER

CHERISH THE AXOLOTLS

A convent of Mexican nuns have become expert breeders of one of the world’s most remarkable and endangered amphibians: the axolotl. In a programme for BBC Radio 4, Victoria Gill travels to central Mexico to meet the nuns as they work to make a nearby lake an axolotl-friendly habitat once more. Here are five remarkable facts we learned about these charismatic amphibians:

1. Axolotls can regrow limbs, organs and even parts of their spine

Axolotls can regenerate limbs, producing perfect replacements with no scarring. As a result, these salamanders are of great interest to researchers worldwide who study them in the hope of imitating the trick to grow tissues and organs for medical use.

2. They feature in Aztec mythology

In Aztec mythology, Xolotl was a dog-headed god who would lead the souls of the dead to the underworld. One account claims that Xolotl was fearful of being killed, so he transformed into an axolotl to hide, which is why the creatures now live in the lakes of Mexico.

3. Axolotls are used in traditional Mexican medicine

The salamander is the key ingredient in a traditional remedy for coughs and other respiratory illnesses. In some places, this medicinal syrup is still sold to the public.

4. They’re normally greenish-brown or black in the wild

This is in total contrast to captive axolotls, which are often white. Most white axolotls are descended from a small group that were caught and shipped to Europe in the middle of the 19th Century, where they were specially bred to be white with black eyes.

5. Unlike most salamanders, the axolotl doesn’t undergo metamorphosis

Axotols stay in their early form their whole lives. However, they can be made to metamorphose with a shot of iodine (don’t try this at home). They’ll transform and end up looking like a tiger salamander, but with spots instead of stripes.