Nearly all modern laboratory axolotls can be traced back to 33 animals shipped from Xochimilco to Paris in 1864.
Nearly all modern laboratory axolotls can be traced back to 33 animals shipped from Xochimilco to Paris in 1864. Animals were originally collected for the Natural History Museum in Paris, and many of today’s captive animals probably stem from these founders.
Axolotls are an important research animal and have been used in studies of the regulation of gene expression, embryology, neurobiology, and regeneration. They are one of the most widely used and studied laboratory animals.
Sources: (Bagnara, Armstrong, & Malacinski, 1989; Majchrzak, 2004; Smith, 1969)
Image: Bernard DUPONT
