Axolotl

Axolotl care at a glance

Adult length

20–30 cm (8–12 in)

Adult weight

60–200 g (2.1–7.1 oz)

Lifespan

10–15 years

Cool side

16–18 °C (61–64 °F)

UVB

Not needed

Diet

Worms and sinking pellets

Activity

Nocturnal

Lifestyle

Aquatic

Cool side is water temperature. Water above 21 °C (70 °F) is stressful.

Typical values from common keeping practice, not yet reviewed. Individual animals and setups vary.

Axolotl research

324 published papers in the HerpAtlas library. Most cited below, or see the latest research →

• Effects of cyanobacterial toxins and aqueous crude extracts of cyanobacteria on the development of fish and amphibians

  Environmental Toxicology · 1999 · cited 232 times

• Developmental Biology of the Axolotl

  Copeia · 1989 · cited 198 times

• Effects of Size‐Selective Predation and Food Competition on High Altitude Zooplankton Communities

  Ecology · 1972 · cited 168 times

• Skin wound healing in axolotls: a scarless process.

  Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution · 2010 · cited 98 times

• Optimized axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) husbandry, breeding, metamorphosis, transgenesis and tamoxifen-mediated recombination.

  Nature protocols · 2014 · cited 94 times

• On the Influence of the Neurohypophyseal Principles on the Sodium Metabolism in the Axolotl (Amblystoma mexicanum)

  Acta Physiologica Scandinavica · 1946 · cited 73 times

• A population matrix model and population viability analysis to predict the fate of endangered species in highly managed water systems

  Animal Conservation · 2007 · cited 71 times

• The ancestor’s tale A pilgrimage to the dawn of evolution

  Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2005 · cited 68 times