Mexico City's 'water monster' nears extinction

[AlphaCentauri]

Beneath the tourist gondolas in the remains of a great Aztec lake lives a creature that resembles a monster — and a Muppet — with its slimy tail, plumage-like gills and mouth that curls into an odd smile.

The axolotl, also known as the "water monster" and the "Mexican walking fish," was a key part of Aztec legend and diet. Against all odds, it survived until now amid Mexico City's urban sprawl in the polluted canals of Lake Xochimilco, now a Venice-style destination for revelers poled along by Mexican gondoliers, or trajineros, in brightly painted party boats.

But scientists are racing to save the foot-long salamander from extinction, a victim of the draining of its lake habitat and deteriorating water quality. In what may be the final blow, nonnative fish introduced into the canals are eating its lunch — and its babies.

The long-standing International Union for Conservation of Nature includes the axolotl on its annual Red List of threatened species, while researchers say it could disappear in just five years. Some are pushing for a series of axolotl sanctuaries in canals cleared of invasive species, while others are considering repopulating Xochimilco with axolotls bred in captivity.

"If the axolotl disappears, it would not only be a great loss to biodiversity but to Mexican culture, and would reflect the degeneration of a once-great lake system," says Luis Zambrano, a biologist at the Autonomous University of Mexico, or UNAM.

The number of axolotls (pronounced ACK-suh-LAH-tuhl) in the wild is not known. But the population has dropped from roughly 1,500 per square mile in 1998 to a mere 25 per square mile this year, according to a survey by Zambrano's scientists using casting nets.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gh1kRk023n9oKGGty_7ma2vA6AbAD946RN500

[WillParkinson]

1. nonnative fish introduced into the canals are eating its lunch — and its babies

It's amazing how often man seems to think he knows better than Mother Nature.

[TechBear_Seattle]

2. They are a fascinating species

Wikipedia article for Axolotl

[msedano]

3. Kentucky & Indiana of all places, sustain large axolotl colony

have a look here:

http://www.ambystoma.org/AGSC/
http://homepages.indiana.edu/062405/text/axolotl2.shtml

and you can buy a few for your backyard pond, too. (as if).

and now for something completely different...

if the election goes haywire, here's background on why:

http://labloga.blogspot.com/2008/11/be-careful-what-you-wish-for-you-might.html

mvs