“They’re teenagers, at least in appearance, until they die.”Mexico's Lake Xochimilco is the only spot where axolotls are found in the wild. Daniel Cardenas/Anadolu/Getty ImagesWhile the wild axolotls of Lake Xochimilco have dwindled to near-extinction, countless axolotls have been bred for scientific laboratories and the pet trade. However, the axolotls you might find at a pet shop are different from their wild relatives in Lake Xochimilco. That means that the axolotl extinction crisis can’t simply be solved by dumping pet axolotls into Lake Xochimilco. (Plus, the pet axolotls likely wouldn’t fare well with the poor habitat conditions in the lake.)

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Persons: Randal Voss, Voss, “, ’ ”, Xolotl, “ ACK, uhl, ” Voss, Hector Vivas, they’re, Luis Zambrano, ” Zambrano, Daniel Cardenas, they’ve, Axolotls, Zambrano, axolotls, ”, ” Kate Golembiewski Organizations: CNN, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, “, Aztecs, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Axolotl, Amphibians Conservation, Anadolu, Getty Locations: Mexican, Xochimilco, Mexico City, It’s, Lake Xochimilco, Mexico, French, Europe, California , Maine , New Jersey, Washington, Minecraft, Chicago