{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "axolotl",
  "name": "Axolotl",
  "scientificName": "Ambystoma mexicanum",
  "category": "Amphibian",
  "summary": "The axolotl is a salamander from Mexico that keeps its larval features for life, including feathery external gills, and lives permanently in water instead of moving onto land. It is famous for its extraordinary ability to regrow limbs, parts of organs, and even portions of its brain. Critically endangered in the wild, it survives mainly in captivity and labs. Axolotls can live 10 to 15 years.",
  "conservationStatus": "Critically Endangered",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Chordata",
    "class": "Amphibia",
    "order": "Urodela",
    "family": "Ambystomatidae",
    "genus": "Ambystoma"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 0.25,
    "lengthM": 0.28,
    "topSpeedKmh": 5,
    "lifespanYears": 15
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Ambystoma mexicanum"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Carnivore (worms, insects, small fish)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Freshwater lakes and canals of Mexico City"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "10–15 years"
    },
    {
      "label": "Length",
      "value": "15–30 cm (6–12 in)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Superpower",
      "value": "Regrows limbs, organs, and brain tissue"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Critically Endangered (IUCN)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Only the lake and canal system of Xochimilco in Mexico City.",
    "continents": [
      "North America"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "IUCN Red List — Ambystoma mexicanum.",
      "url": "https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Ambystoma%20mexicanum&searchType=species"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web — Ambystoma mexicanum. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ambystoma_mexicanum/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Wikipedia — Axolotl.",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axolotl"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/axolotl/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/axolotl/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}