Axolotls

 

An axolotl in Lake Xochimilco, Mexico  —See this article on Axolotls, published this week,
which inspired me to look up more information about them.

An axolotl on a 50 peso note (source)
The image is based on a mural by Diego Rivera.

Everyone loves the smiling face of the axolotl, a type of salamander that lives in a small number of waterways in Mexico City. Very few axolotls survive in the wild — it’s an endangered species. One of them lives in a special axolotl museum in Mexico City called Axolotitlán. They are relatively widely available as pets in the US, though prohibited in some states. Axolotls are not very cuddly as their bones are fragile, so they shouldn’t be handled, only admired in an aquarium. Quite a few children’s books and toys represent these appealing critters. For more info: a detailed article about them appeared in Smithsonian a few years ago. 

One of many kids’ books about axolotls.

What, Me Worry?

If you were a fan of Mad Magazine in its glory years, you may remember the poem by Alfred E. Neuman.

Axolotls

 I wandered lonely as a clod, 

 Picking up old rags and bottles, 

When onward on my daily plod 

 I came upon some axolotls 

Beside the lake, beneath the trees, 

 A sight to make a man's blood freeze.

Some had handles, some were plain— 

 Skins green and orange, in the main. 

My hair stood up, my blood ran cold. 

 I fled with fear upon my soul. 

I find my solace now in bottles, 

 and I forget them axolotls. 

                                                   —Alfred E. Neuman

A mural of an axolotl (source)

This post is to be shared with Deb’s Readerbuzz. Sami’s Murals, and Eileen’s Critters.

Photos as credited, text © 2026 mae sander