To the ancient Aztec and Maya, man’s best friend was also a hairless, ugly-cute healer, occasional food source, and, most importantly, guide to the Underworld.
Sometimes known as the Mexican Hairless dog, the xoloitzcuintli (pronounced “show-low-itz-QUEENT-ly”) gets its name from two words in the language of the Aztecs: Xolotl, the god of lightning and death, and itzcuintli, or dog. According to Aztec belief, the Dog of Xolotl was created by the god to guard the living and guide the souls of the dead through the dangers of Mictlán, the Underworld.
One of the most ancient dog breedsof the Americas, researchers believe the ancestors of the xoloitzcuintli (or ‘xolo’ for short) accompanied the earliest migrants from Asia and had developed into the breed seen today by at least 3,500 years ago. The xolo’s hairlessness (save for a tuft or two of hair on top of the head or on the tail) is the result of a genetic mutation that is also responsible for the dog’s lack of premolars. This distinctive dental trait makes identifying the remains of xolos in archaeological contexts relatively easy…
Axolotls should not be confused with waterdogs, the larval stage of the closely related tiger salamanders (A. tigrinum and A. mavortium), which are widespread in much of North America and occasionally become neotenic. Neither should they be confused with mudpuppies (Necturus spp.), fully aquatic salamanders that are not closely related to the axolotl but bear a superficial resemblance.[5]
As of 2010, wild axolotls were near extinction[6] due to urbanization in Mexico City and consequent water pollution, as well as the introduction of invasive species such as tilapia and perch. They are currently listed by CITES as an endangered species and by IUCN as critically endangered in the wild, with a decreasing population. Axolotls are used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate limbs.[7] Axolotls were also sold as food in Mexican markets and were a staple in the Aztec diet.[8]
Surveys in 1998, 2003 and 2008 found 6,000, 1,000 and 100 axolotls per square kilometer in its Lake Xochimilco habitat, respectively.[9] A four-month-long search in 2013, however, turned up no surviving individuals in the wild. Just a month later, two wild ones were spotted in a network of canals leading from Xochimilco.[10] The city is currently working on conserving axolotls by building “axolotl shelters” and conserving remaining and potential habitats for the salamanders.
[ATTACH=full]142667[/ATTACH]