There was a story on Yahoo this morning about a Mexican "Water Monster" that is apparently on the verge of extinction. A few members of the species still survive in a tourist-laden corner of Lake Xochimilco, where Mexican gondoliers (?) give a vaguely surrealistic impression of Venice by poling party-goers along the polluted canals. What is the Mexican water monster? It's the axolotl, (ACK suh LAH tuhl) a 12 inch long salamander, whose offspring are being eaten by non-native fish in the canal. It migrated to the canal after its natural habitat at the lake was drained, and pollution set in. It has been added to the Red List of threatened species, meaning it might be gone within the next five years.

Millions of them once populated Lakes Xochimilco and Chalco. They move along the bottoms of the lake on their short, powerful legs or propel themselves through the water with their thick tails, hunting insects, small fish and crustaceans. According to Aztec legend, Xolotl (the dog-headed god of death, lightning and monsters) changed himself into an Axolotl and escaped into Lake Xochimilco to seek sanctuary from the wrath of the other gods.

When the Spanish started to drain the lakes, it was the beginning of the end for the Axolotl. Over hundreds of years, the lake waters have been drained by the increasingly demanding water supply of Mexico City and the need for flood control. Since the 1980's wastewater has been released into what's left of Lake Xochimilco. To make matters worse, African tilapia and Asian carp were brought into Xochimilco for fish hatcheries and they now rule the ecosystem where the Axototl once thrived.

An Axototl preserve area is in the works with plans to block off some of the canals to provide safe, clean space for feeding and breeding. Bob Johnson, curator of amphibians and reptiles at the Toronto Zoo, says, "If you take the insults away, the lake has an amazing latent potential to heal itself," he said. "We owe it to the axolotl to help it survive."

To read the full article, click here, and to see a really amazing photo click here!