Axolotl Facing Extinction

[megs]

Are there no true wild strain mexicanum in captivity? If inbreed, has there been made any genetic comparring to wild animals? Many of the fish from the same habitats are the neotenic Ambystomas in mexico are also inbreed, in the wild. And furtheron has been kept going in pure breeding in captivity for many year, the oldest strains being 30-40 years old. With no problems what so ever.

Martin

 

[slowfoot]

Are there no true wild strain mexicanum in captivity? If inbreed, has there been made any genetic comparring to wild animals? Many of the fish from the same habitats are the neotenic Ambystomas in mexico are also inbreed, in the wild. And furtheron has been kept going in pure breeding in captivity for many year, the oldest strains being 30-40 years old. With no problems what so ever.

Martin

I've worked with wild-caught A. mexicanum so I know they do exist in captivity.

The reason for this bump was so I could post an older article I found :

http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2008/02/axolotls_on_the_edge.php#more

The best part though is that it has a link to a very nice site that I've never seen before:

http://www.edgeofexistence.org/amphibians/top_100.php

Lots of great information on endangered amphibians (including many caudates, sadly). And it actually contains a picture of one of the axolotl species I used to work with, A. taylori. I've had so much trouble finding any information about this species at all, let alone pictures, that I had convinced myself I imagined it! Anyway, they were way more attractive in person.

 

[fishkeeper]

In the lab, Drosophila (Fruit flies) somewhere acquired a unique genetic transposable element (P element), which prevents them from mating with wild stocks. However, it has been extremely valuable for genetic research and these flies, which may have died if they had to reproduce in wild are have been indirectly selected for propagation in the lab.
.

Err...thats about as close to speciation as I've heard of yet!