El ajolote: así es el anfibio prehispánico que se ha convertido en la mascota de Ciudad de México

Este extraño y escurridizo animal es capaz de regenerar órganos enteros y se encuentra en peligro de extinción. Así luce el ajolote, de quien los aztecas pensaban que era la reencarnación de un dios.

Por:Univision

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View of an Axolotl (Ambystoma Mexicanum) at the laboratory of ecological restoration of the Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Xochimilco, southern Mexico City, on August 29, 2014. The wild axolotls are near extinction due to urbanization in Mexico City and water pollution. AFP PHOTO/RONALDO SCHEMIDT (Photo credit should read RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

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TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY JEAN-MICHEL HAUTEVILLE - Mexican biologist Tatiana Sandoval-Guzman, a scientist who has lived in Dresden for six years, holds an axolotl in a glass tank in her laboratory at the Center for Regenerative Therapies in Dresden, eastern Germany, on November 17, 2015. Sandoval-Guzman is "amazed by the reaction of the people of Dresden facing PEGIDA", citing solidarity initiatives with refugees, despite the German city of Dresden, known for its Baroque architecture and romantic Christmas market, worries about the damage to its image caused by the xenophobic protests of the PEGIDA movement. AFP PHOTO / ROBERT MICHAEL / AFP / ROBERT MICHAEL (Photo credit should read ROBERT MICHAEL/AFP/Getty Images)

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axolotl floats in the aquarium close up

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View of an Axolotl (Ambystoma Mexicanum) in a channel of Xochimilco, southern Mexico City, on August 29, 2014. The wild axolotls are near extinction due to urbanization in Mexico City and water pollution. AFP PHOTO/RONALDO SCHEMIDT (Photo credit should read RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

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Ein Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) schwimmt in einem Aquarium im Zoo von Zuerich am Mittwoch, 21. November 2007. Der Axolotl sei eine der bedrohtesten Tierarten ueberhaupt, sagte Zoo-Kurator Samuel Furrer am Mittwoch vor den Medien in Zuerich. In der freien Natur gibt es nur noch wenige hundert Tiere davon. Wild komme er nur in den Wasserkanalsystemen um Mexiko City vor. In Zoos, Labors und bei Privaten gebe es jedoch Hunderttausende davon. Unter dem Motto "Das Jahr des Frosches" wird 2008 weltweit eine Oeffentlichkeitskampagne lanciert. (KEYSTONE/Alessandro Della Bella) An Axolotl or Ajolote (Ambystoma mexicanum) is seen in the Zoo of Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, November 21, 2007. (KEYSTONE/Alessandro Della Bella)

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A female wild-type axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). These salamanders are extensively used in research laboratories around the world, in no small part due to the fact that they have astonishing regenerative potential. In their native habitat, they are threatened with extinction.

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An albino Axolotls (Ambystoma Mexicanum) is pictured at the laboratory of ecological restoration of the Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City, on August 29, 2014. The wild axolotls are near extinction due to urbanization in Mexico City and water pollution. AFP PHOTO/RONALDO SCHEMIDT (Photo credit should read RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

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domestic axolotl in the aquarium close up

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Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)

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An Axolotls (Ambystoma Mexicanum) is pictured at the laboratory of ecological restoration of the Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City, on August 29, 2014. The wild axolotls are near extinction due to urbanization in Mexico City and water pollution. AFP PHOTO/RONALDO SCHEMIDT (Photo credit should read RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

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