Before adding an axolotl to your tank, it's essential that you comprehend a few facts about these animals. They're adorable and can make great pets, but before purchasing one it's important to be informed on some basic information. Ron Cramer of axolotl.cyou says, Axolotls feed by sucking up prey such as worms, tadpoles, insects and small fish by suction. Gravel may be inhaled too which helps break up food into tiny particles in their bellies (similar to how birds use grit). They’re amphibiansAxolotls are amphibians, meaning they live in water. This is unusual for an amphibian species since most transmorph into land-dwelling adults. Male axolotls in the wild mate with females through pheromones. They engage in courtship behavior that includes shaking of their tails and lower bodies. After mating, she deposits 100 to 300 jelly-coated eggs on plants or rocks and they hatch after 10 to 14 days. After several weeks, the baby axolotl sprouts legs and begins developing feathery external gills. By 18 months old, it is fully grown. These curious salamanders are native to Mexico, but their numbers have drastically decreased due to habitat loss and pollution. According to the IUCN Red List, Axolotls are currently listed as Critically Endangered. They’re carnivoresThey're carnivorous and feed on worms, tadpoles, fish, insects and even each other. This diet puts them at the top of their food chain. Animals such as tilapia can be found in still-water lakes like Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco, however their habitat has been destroyed due to pollution, water loss and invasive fish species such as tilapia. Females typically spawn up to three times a year. During this period, males seek out females and perform an elaborate courtship dance, including wriggling, pushing, nudging and leading her towards their sperm packets that have been left lying on the ground. Once she spots them, she'll scoop up the packets with her cloaca (body cavity) and fertilize them. During spawning season - which lasts only two weeks - she can lay up to 1,000 eggs. They’re nocturnal Are axolotl fish?Nocturnal creatures, axolotls spend their days under water's surface and nights above it to avoid predators and light. Furthermore, they use lateral line organs (sensory organs along the sides of their bodies) to search for food. They feed on a variety of things, such as worms, tadpoles and small fish. Since they lack fully-developed teeth, they must swallow their prey whole. Axolotls not only eat, but they also mate with each other and fertilize their eggs. Males approach females using pheromones and engage in a mating dance that involves swaying their lower bodies and tails. After mating, the male deposits sperm packets on the seafloor. The female collects them with her cloaca and lays her eggs on plants or rocks to protect them from predators. She incubates them for two weeks before hatching. They’re omnivores Axolotls are classified as omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. Their diet consists of earthworms, mollusks, insect eggs, and small fish. When kept captive axolotls may be fed pellets or strips of meat. They're classified as neotenic salamanders, meaning they retain their gills into adulthood. The axolotls found in Lake Xochimilco near Mexico City are one of the few remaining species of these neotenic salamanders living in their natural habitat. Female axolotls typically spawn once a year, typically during March or June. After attaching their jelly-coated eggs to rocks or aquatic plants, these hatch 10-14 days later.
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