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Axolotl verges on wild extinction
by Matt Walker | BBC Earth News
The amphibian that never grew up is on the verge of going extinct in the wild.
New survey work suggests that fewer than 1,200 Mexican axolotls remain in its last stronghold, the Xochimilco area of central Mexico. The axolotl is a type of salamander that uniquely spends its whole life in its larval form. Its odd lifestyle, features and ability to regenerate body parts make it a popular animal kept in labs, schools and as pets. But in the wild, the future is bleak for this "Peter Pan" of animals.
Recent surveys suggest that between 700 and 1,200 axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) survive in six reduced and scattered areas within the Xochimilco area of the Mexican Central Valley. One of these surveys found just a single axolotl in the whole study region. The long-term survival of the axolotl in the wild has now become critical, and demands urgent action to restore the animal's number and habitat, say scientists monitoring the population.
Though accurate information about the population of wild Mexican axolotls is hard to come by, recent evidence suggests that the population has declined alarmingly in recent decades. For example, in 1998 there were thought to be around 6,000 axolotls per square kilometre of the Xochimilco. By 2004 just 1,000 lived in the equivalent area, and by 2008 around 100 animals survived per square kilometre, Dr Luis Zambrano and colleagues at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, based in Mexico City report in the journal Biological Conservation. That is a ten-fold reduction in four years and a 60-fold reduction in ten years, leading the International Union for Conservation of Nature to classify the species as endangered on its annual Red List of threatened species. >>>>Go to Full Story >>>
U.S.-Mexico border wall may hurt wildlife
UPI
U.S. biologists say the 700-mile security wall under construction along the United States-Mexico border could significantly threaten wildlife.
The scientists said the wall would alter the movement and "connectivity" of wildlife and the animals' potential isolation might be a threat to populations of some species. But the researchers said technology and design alterations could dramatically improve the potential for animals to move more freely between the two countries.
Oregon State University Assistant Professor Clinton Epps and University of Arizona biologist Aaron Flesch looked at the potential effects of the security wall on two species — the pygmy owl and bighorn sheep. >>>>Go to Full Story >>>
