In their main habitat the population density of Mexican axolotls (ah-ho-LOH'-tulz) has plummeted 99.5% in under two decades, according to scientists behind the fundraiser. Still, there are not enough resources for thorough research, said Alejandro Calzada, an ecologist surveying less well-known species of axolotls for the government's environment department. A more recent international study found less than a thousand Mexican axolotls left in the wild. In the past, government conservation programs have largely focused on the most popular species: the Mexican axolotl, found in Xochimilco. But other species can be found across the country, from tiny streams in the valley of Mexico to the northern Sonora desert.

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Persons: ”, Alejandro Calzada, Calzada, Luis Zambrano González, Zambrano, Andrés Manuel López Obrador Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Mexico's National Autonomous, National Autonomous, Associated Press Locations: MEXICO, Mexican, Xochimilco, Mexico City, axolotl, Mexico, Sonora, Europe, Australia