The wonder and mystery of the axolotl

On a recent evening, I was reading a book (“Say Her Name” by Francisco Goldman) that opened with a woman in search of axolotls in Paris.

“Ou sont les axolotls?” said Goldman’s wife, who longed to see the strange amphibious creatures she’d read about in an essay by Argentine writer Julio Cortazar.

My first response was, “Huh? Axo-what?” I’d never heard of axolotls, which are salamanders that never mature beyond the larvae stage – in essence, perpetual tadpoles.

Next day, when I went with my daughter to the Cape May County Zoo, we stopped at the reptile house to see the visiting albino alligator, “Sweetheart” (which will be there till the end of the month, so now’s the time to visit her). And what to my wondering eyes should appear but an aquarium filled with axolotls.

“I never even heard of axolotls till 12 hours ago,” I said to Garland. “And here they are. It’s synchronicity.”

These curious creatures are suspended in a state of neoteny, or the juvenile state of their species. They are neither fish nor salamanders, but have characteristics of both, with gills that can resemble frilly vegetation popping out of their bodies, long tails, and tiny, delicate fingers. Yet if placed in a dry environment, axolotls sometimes morph into land-dwelling salamanders.

They also have amazing regenerative abilities; if they lose a limb, it readily grows back, good as new. It boggles not just my mind but the minds of scientists, who have researched axolotls to try and learn if their healing powers can benefit humankind.

Also, who can deny that axolotls are totally cute? In my research, I found a great website, Uglorable.com, with a whole alphabet of species that are so ugly, they’re adorable (from our new friend the axolotl to the zebu, a type of humped cattle).

Kevin Wilson, senior keeper of reptiles at the county zoo, says axolotls – which are native to the lakes of Mexico City – are now unfortunately rare in the wild.

“The areas where they’re found historically don’t exist anymore, because the lakes have been revamped into a tributary system for Mexico City,” Wilson says. “Their habitat was basically eliminated.”

While axolotls became popular as pets because of their strange appearance, “There are pros and cons to captive breeding, which is really all about the money,” says Wilson. Axolotls have been bred in many colors, including albinos and variegated Koi-like hues, to appeal to potential buyers. But these are not particularly compelling pets beyond their uglorability – “They are really neat looking and unique,” says Wilson, but they don’t have dazzling personalities, nor do they move around a lot in their aquatic environment.

“They react to certain stimuli but they’re not much for problem-solving or anything like that,” Wilson says. “The biggest thing for the scientific community is the fact that they can regenerate.”

Axolotls – their name comes from the Aztec for “water dog” – are related to the tiger salamander, which is found in New Jersey. If you’re interested in keeping them as pets, be forewarned – they are a hearty species that can live from 10 to 15 years. Handling is verboten, so no cuddling. And they can be cannibalistic to members of their own species, so you have to keep an eye out for aggressive tendencies. Of course, if Axolotl 1 bites the tail off Axolotl 2, it will grow back.

Thanks to synchronicity – defined as the “apparently meaningful coincidence” – I now know and appreciate the wonders of the axolotl. If you go to the zoo, be sure to stop in the reptile house to take a look.

Let’s close with a passage from the essay by Julio Cortazar, which inspired the axolotl-seeker in Paris, which was recounted by Francisco Goldman, which informed me of the presence in our world of these charmingly odd creatures.

“I saw a rosy little body,” wrote Cortazar, “translucent (I thought of those Chinese figurines of milky glass), looking like a small lizard about six inches long, ending in a fish's tail of extraordinary delicacy, the most sensitive part of our body. Along the back ran a transparent fin which joined with the tail, but what obsessed me was the feet, of the slenderest nicety, ending in tiny fingers with minutely human nails.

“And then I discovered its eyes, its face. Inexpressive features, with no other trait save the eyes, two orifices, like brooches, wholly of transparent gold, lacking any life but looking, letting themselves be penetrated by my look, which seemed to travel past the golden level and lose itself in a diaphanous interior mystery.”

The Cape May County Zoo is located at 707 Route 9 North in Cape May Court House. Admission is free. For more information, call 609-465-5271 or visit www.capemaycountyzoo.org.