The Axolotl, the God Who Hid in the Water
Aztec myth says a god turned himself into a smiling salamander to escape death. It lives in the canals of Mexico City, and can regrow its own legs.
What was reported
The axolotl is a salamander found wild only in the lakes and canals of Xochimilco, in Mexico City. It never fully grows up: it keeps its feathery gills and lives its whole life underwater, looking like a smiling tadpole.
In Aztec myth, the god Xolotl, brother of Quetzalcoatl, refused to be sacrificed to set the Sun in motion, and fled, changing shape until he became an axolotl in the water.
Explanations offered
The axolotl's ability to regrow limbs, parts of its heart and even its brain has made it one of the most studied animals in science. In the wild, it's critically endangered, as the canals have been polluted and filled.
- When
- Told since Aztec times
- Where
- Xochimilco, Mexico City, Mexico
- Witnesses
- Aztec myth, and biologists
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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