AXOLOTL

Immigration

• Axolotls breed in cold seasons, from December to June
• A female axolotl will usually lay 1,000 eggs
• The axolotl's life expectancy is usually 12-15 years old
• They usually eat insects, small fish and crustaceans
• Axolotls live in Lake Xochimilco, which underlies Central Mexico
• They can regenerate lost body parts, such as an arm or a fin.

Immigration of the axolotl population would immensely help out the size of the population. Axolotls are becoming extinct very fast, so if the population would grow, it would help the axolotls from becoming extinct.

Emigration

• The axolotl population is on a decline due to draining and contamination of water in their natural habitat
• Roasted axolotl is a delicacy in Mexico, and is also a popular food in Asian countries
• Researchers were unable to find an Axolotl in Lake Xochimilco in four months
• The axolotl population is very small and scientists have not been able to find out the exact number of Axolotls
• An axolotl's life expectancy is 12-15 years old

Emigration of the axolotl's population would effect the population in a negative way. Since there is already a small number of axolotls, emigration of the population would result in a faster extinction date.

Life Cycle (Births and Deaths)

• Axolotls have a backwards evolution that rarely allows them to travel out of water
• An axolotl in good condition should breed at least once a year
• White, golden, and albino axolotls that have reached sexual maturity will have dark brown tips to their toes

An axolotl has five stages of life (not including death)

1. Embryo - 2mm in diameter, surrounded by jelly
2. Embryo right before hatching - 11 mm in diameter
3. Young larva - no limbs, thin and clear skin
4. Developing organs - front legs will develop first and back legs develop second
5. Adult - can begin breeding at 6 months old

• Axolotls will die after 12-15 years of life

Limited Resources and Carrying Capacity

Limited resources are both a problem and not a problem for the axolotl community. They are a problem becuase the water they live in is draining, causing them to die off quickly. Without water, they cannot live, and the water they live in is being drained and contaminated. Limited resources is also not a problem for these sea salamanders. Since there is such small axolotl population, the food they eat is very unlikely to decrease from the cause of being used as food. Carrying capacity is not much of a problem either, because the population is already very small.

Density-Dependent Limiting Factors

Density-dependant limiting factors are likely to effect the axolotl population. There may not be many axolotls, but they do live in a Clumped Population in just one area. For example, if one axolotl caught a disease, it is likely that the disease will spread to the other axolotls because they all live so close together. Also, if a predator to the axolotls was to find its way to Lake Xochimilco, it would most likely eat all the axolotls because they are all together.

Density-Independant Limiting Factors

Density-Independant limiting factors are also likely to effect the axolotl population in a negative way. The lake water axolotls live in is being drained and contaminated, so the space that all the axolotls live in is becoming smaller and smaller. Another density-independent factor that effects the axolotls in a negative way is "Roasted Axolotl," which is a dish that is eaten in Mexico.