Farewell my lovely? The demise of the Mexican ‘water monster’ may have arrived
The only natural habitat of the axolotl — also known as the “water monster” or the “Mexican walking fish” — is the Xochimilco network of lakes and canals, built by the Aztecs but now suffering from pollution and urban sprawl.
Long ago, there was a vast network of lakes and canals that was a key part of Aztec civilization in what's now Mexico City. A very strange creature took up residence there.
It was called the axolotl, and it was a foot-long salamander that looked like a fish with legs. The locals came to call it the "water monster" and the "walking fish."
Well, those lakes and canals in Mexico City's Xochimilco borough are mostly gone now — or badly polluted. It seems the axolotl may be just about gone too.
Biologist Armando Tovar Garza of Mexico's National Autonomous University says researchers spent four months last year skimming the muddy waters of Xochimilco and found "zero" axolotls.
There are still some of the creatures in captivity, but Tovar Garza says the axolotl "is in serious risk of disappearing" from the wild — if it hasn't already.
Garza's not ready to close the book on the monster though.
He says researchers will start another search in early February, the beginning of the axolotl's breeding season.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!