For years, Birch Aquarium visitors have asked whether the La Jolla attraction has an axolotl. This fall, the answer is finally going to be yes — and the tiny salamander is getting an entire story-world built around it.
The aquarium is planning The Axolotl’s Garden, or El Jardín del Ajolote, for an October opening, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. The exhibit will be included with admission, although Birch has not announced the exact opening date.
Birch Aquarium says the installation will expand its Imagine Wild series with a focus on axolotls, other Mexican species and the ties between wildlife, habitat and culture. Mexican-American artist Itzel Islas is collaborating on the project, while aquarium staff traveled to Mexico City’s Xochimilco area to better understand the animal’s history and fragile habitat.
The result is meant to be more than a tank with a pink amphibian floating around inside. Visitors will encounter contemporary art, conservation science and stories about biodiversity, climate resilience, habitat loss and the people working to protect axolotl habitat.
Why axolotls look like science fiction
Axolotls are aquatic salamanders that keep their juvenile features for life, including feathery external gills and a permanently larval-looking body. As the San Diego Zoo explains, they can also regenerate limbs, parts of their hearts and portions of their brains — which is a fairly dramatic résumé for an animal often mistaken for a Pokémon character.
The familiar pink axolotl is more common in laboratories than in the wild, where the animals are typically brown or gray and better camouflaged in muddy water. Their unusual biology has made them valuable to researchers, while their cartoonish appearance has helped propel them into video games, social media and even Mexico’s 50-peso banknote, as reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune.
The cute face comes with a serious conservation warning
Axolotls are critically endangered in the wild, with the remaining population concentrated in waterways around Mexico City. Estimates cited by The San Diego Union-Tribune put the wild population at 1,000 or fewer, after years of habitat loss, pollution and ecological changes.
Introduced tilapia compete with and prey on axolotls, while plastic and other pollutants have further damaged the canals and wetlands they depend on. Conservation efforts include restoring habitat, improving water quality and supporting traditional farming practices around Xochimilco.
Birch’s exhibit will include a conservation component featuring people protecting axolotl habitat, according to the aquarium’s announcement. That gives the fall attraction a sharper point than simple animal celebrity: the axolotl is fascinating because it can regrow body parts, but it still cannot out-evolve a ruined ecosystem.
The Axolotl’s Garden will open at Birch Aquarium at Scripps in La Jolla sometime in October, with the specific date still to come. The aquarium is located at 2300 Expedition Way, and the exhibit will be available as part of regular admission once it opens.
