By Robert P. Walzer

XOCHIMILCO, Mexico -- A homely aquatic salamander with a cartoonish smile and the ability to regenerate lost body parts has become a global phenomenon, appearing as characters in Minecraft, Fortnite and Pokémon and inspiring a McDonald's Happy Meal toy.

Where the axolotl can barely be found: in its natural habitat in Mexico.

The axolotl (pronounced ah-SHO-lohtl) is hurtling toward extinction, just as it becomes globally familiar with a cottage industry using its image to sell beer, T-shirts and videogames. Scientists estimate that no more than 1,000 -- and perhaps as few as 50 -- are left in the wild in their last natural habitat, a Venice-like system of canals and islands built by the Aztecs that still exists in the Mexico City borough of Xochimilco.

In the last big survey of axolotls in Xochimilco in 2014, they numbered no more than 35 per square kilometer, down from 6,000 in 1998. Mexican researchers said a new survey, due this summer, is likely to count even fewer.

"The last time we saw an axolotl was four years ago," said David Jiménez Garcés, Xochimilco resident and activist who supports local farmers on the area's agricultural chinampas, or islands.

Scientists and activists are now racing to save the axolotl in the wild from pollution, predators and urbanization, hoping its global celebrity will raise enough awareness to protect it.

"Today we are seeing an axolotl boom on a social and cultural level in the country and in the world, which, from my perspective, is marvelous. Why? Because you can't save something that you don't know about," said Pamela Valencia, founder of the National Axolotl Museum in Mexico City.

To boost conservation efforts, the National Autonomous University of Mexico is running an "AdoptAxolotl" campaign. Donors who pay $30 to virtually adopt an axolotl for one month get an adoption certificate and live updates on its health. On a budget? Pay $10 to buy a virtual dinner for an axolotl.

The university is also working to restore Xochimilco lakes by installing biofilters that block predatory fish and pollution.

Others are creating their own sanctuaries or breeding them in ponds.

"We want to not only preserve the species but also improve the water and the whole ecosystem," said Uriel Sumano, an agronomist in Xochimilco who runs a new axolotl sanctuary. Sumano, who gets funding from Conservation International, uses 15 different plant species to filter the water and screens to block predator fish. As he gradually introduces the axolotls in cages, he's encouraged by their health and growing size and weight.

Igor Seke, a longtime Mexico City resident from Serbia who studies indigenous cultures and language, is developing an axolotl documentary that he hopes will raise awareness and money for a sanctuary.

"You never really miss something until it's gone," Seke said. "For Mexicans the axolotl is a symbol for its ability to transform itself."

A millennium ago, axolotls thrived in the canals that Mexico's indigenous people built to connect large lakes. The Aztecs, or Mexicas, as they called themselves, believed the axolotl to be a living spiritual representation of its namesake the god Xolotl, and used the salamander for food and medicine.

The 16-century Spanish invasion and subsequent urbanization eroded traditional farming and Mexico City's unique ecosystem. The lakes dried up, sewage and agricultural chemicals polluted the waters. Also, invasive fish such as tilapia and carp, which were introduced for food, preyed on the axolotl and its eggs.

The axolotl began gaining more attention a following in the late 1990s after the Japanese entertainment franchise Pokémon introduced the characters "Mudkip" and "Wooper" based on the axolotl.

In 2021, the axolotl's fame soared after Minecraft, the bestselling videogame, introduced it as a character before videogame maker Fortnite modeled its Axo character after the amphibian.

Now, Mexico has a National Axolotl Day on Feb. 1, and Mexico's 50-peso bill features the creature.

The axolotl's unique profile was molded into bread for Mexico's Day of the Dead celebrations in November. A small, local brewery created an Ajolote beer, using the Spanish, rather than the native Nahuatl, spelling. Not to be outdone, the international Victoria Beer brand created an Axolotl Special Edition beer with the tagline: "Friendly, Sturdy and Very Mexican."

The axolotl's likeness now appears everywhere in Mexico -- on T-shirts, baseball caps, tattoos, refrigerator magnets, key chains, lamps, jewelry, McDonald's Happy Meal toys and high-fashion designs. Beauty creams also bear the amphibian's image. Axolotls have garnered tens of millions of views on TikTok, where people post axolotl cartoons and videos of their real salamanders.

Jose Contreras Ochoa named his Mexico City-based company's cough syrup after the amphibian. The solution's rebranding as Ajolotius boosted sales by distinguishing it from its competitors, he said. "People were confused because they thought we used real ajolotes in it, but no," he said. "The ingredients are honey and herbs."

In 1864, a French expedition to explore Mexico's natural resources brought back 34 axolotls to Paris, according to a history of axolotl research. Scientists and naturalists bred them and distributed them around Europe.

Luis Zambrano, biologist at the University Autonoma of Mexico who has studied the axolotl for 20 years, says probably hundreds of thousands of axolotls trace their roots to those specimens and now inhabit pet tanks and scientific labs across the globe, from Germany to China to the U.S.

"They are really cute and charming pets," said Natalie Gress, Seattle resident who recently visited Xochimilco. Before it died, Gress said she owned her axolotl for 8 years, first as a "dorm pet" in college and then when she became a teacher as her "class pet." "You could see how he's not like a fish. He watched me and was very attentive to the students."

Its unique features have long fascinated scientists. While many salamanders morph into terrestrial creatures when they reach adulthood -- losing their gills, fins, and other aquatic features for a body better suited to land -- axolotls don't. Most live their whole lives underwater.

Researchers have studied its regenerative properties to explore new possibilities for human medicine, including tissue regeneration and wound healing. But back home they face a conundrum.

"People tend to think of the axolotl as a pet, not a wild animal," Zambrano said. "This is a big challenge for us because people in Mexico ask if they can take them home."

Write to Robert P. Walzer at robert.walzer@wsj.com

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March 29, 2025 11:00 ET (15:00 GMT)

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