00:00Meet the axolotl, the real-life water dragon with a permanent smile.
00:05This enchanting amphibian never truly grows up, holding onto its youthful features for life.
00:10It also possesses a magical ability to heal itself, a superpower scientists are still studying.
00:17Have you ever seen one before?
00:19The axolotl is a master of neoteny, reaching adulthood without metamorphosis.
00:24Unlike other salamanders that move to land, the axolotl remains fully aquatic,
00:30keeping its feathery external gills and finned tail.
00:33It's a teenager for life, a Peter Pan of the amphibian world.
00:37This arrested development makes it fascinating to researchers studying evolution,
00:42providing a living window into how species develop and change over the world.
00:45The axolotl's most mind-blowing trait is its incredible power of regeneration.
00:50If it loses a limb, it perfectly reconstructs the entire structure, bones, muscle, and nerves.
00:56This ability isn't limited to just limbs.
01:00Axolotls can repair damaged spinal cords, regenerate parts of their heart,
01:05and even restore sections of their brain without scarring.
01:08This remarkable healing makes them a key subject in medical research for humans.
01:13This unique creature has a very specific home.
01:16Wild axolotls are native only to the canal systems of Lake Xochimilco near Mexico City.
01:21Sadly, due to urbanization, water pollution, and invasive fish, their population has plummeted.
01:29The axolotl is now critically endangered in the wild, a fragile icon of biodiversity loss.
01:35Conservation efforts are underway to protect the last of these incredible amphibians in their natural, shrinking habitat.
01:41Don't let that charming smile fool you.
01:44The axolotl is a skilled carnivore.
01:46Its diet consists of worms, insects, small fish, and mollusks.
01:52Without strong teeth for chewing, it employs a different strategy.
01:56When prey comes near, the axolotl opens its mouth rapidly, creating a powerful suction that vacuums the meal inside.
02:03This feeding action is surprisingly swift and effective for such a placid-looking creature.
02:08While wild axolotls are typically mottled brown or black, captive breeding has produced a stunning array of colors.
02:17The most famous is the leucistic variety, pale pink or white with dark eyes.
02:22There are also albinos, golden albinos with a vibrant yellow hue, and even mosaic or piebald variations.
02:29This diversity has made them incredibly popular in the aquarium hobby.
02:34Which color is it?
02:35Those beautiful, feathery branches on an axolotl's head are its external gills, which absorb oxygen from the water.
02:42The delicate filaments are rich with blood vessels, giving them their reddish look and maximizing surface area for gas exchange.
02:49While these gills are their primary breathing tool, axolotls also have rudimentary lungs and can occasionally gulp air from the surface, a handy backup system in low-oxygen water.
03:00From its perpetual youth and regenerative superpowers to its fragile existence in a single lake, the axolotl is a marvel of nature.
03:08It serves as a living puzzle for scientists and a symbol of the unique beauty evolution can create.
03:13This smiling salamander reminds us that the most extraordinary creatures are often the most vulnerable, deserving of our protection and wonder.
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