How Do Axolotls Reproduce? Detailed Guide to Breeding Methods and Precautions

The axolotl is an amphibian, known for its unique appearance and neoteny, so how do axolotls reproduce?

I. Living Habits of the Axolotl

The axolotl is an animal of the family Ambystomatidae and the genus Ambystoma. Wild adults usually inhabit moist environments and live in burrows, returning to streams only during the breeding season to lay eggs. They feed on arthropods, snails, small fish, tadpoles and young frogs. Their eyesight is poor, and they hunt mainly by smell or their lateral line.

The axolotl is an omnivore. Its main foods are algae, worms, shell-less insects or small fish, and a small amount of the feces of other fish.

Adult Mexican axolotls inhabit moist environments, returning to streams only during the breeding season to lay eggs. They live in freshwater lakes. Due to environmental destruction, they are now limited to the canals and lagoons around the southern edge of Mexico City. Their wild survival altitude is 2290 m.

II. How Do Axolotls Reproduce?

The scientific name of the axolotl is Ambystoma mexicanum, and it reproduces by laying eggs. Because the axolotl is an animal that lives mainly in water, it generally lays eggs in water as well. Captive-bred axolotls can be induced to reproduce by controlling factors such as temperature and light.

Among these methods, subjecting the axolotl to a few weeks of artificially short-day treatment and then gradually lengthening the photoperiod can achieve the goal of reproduction.

Keeping them at 20-22 degrees for several weeks, then lowering the temperature to 12-14 degrees, can also make axolotls mate and reproduce.

However, axolotls under 18 months old are best not bred, especially females, to avoid harm to their bodies.

Temperature also needs attention when keeping axolotls. They generally prefer to grow in water below 20°C, with 18°C being optimal. Above 23°C, the growth of the axolotl will be affected, and in severe cases the axolotl will gradually die.