Call 877.ONLY.ATT.
WE'RE BACK WITH THE
SALAMANDER'S TAKEN ABACK BY
THIS LITTLE PINK GUY.
>> YEAH, THE CALL I'VE NEVER
SEEN ONE LIKE THIS BEFORE.
>> THIS IS AN AXOLOTL MAXILLA.
IT'S A FUNNY NAT'L.
IT'S NAMED AFTER THE AZTEC GOD
ZADOW AND SO AS YOU CAN IMAGINE
THEY CAME FROM MEXICO.
THEY'RE IN DIMMICK AND
THREATENED TO ACTUALLY IN
MEXICO BECAUSE THEY'RE FROM THE
WATERWAYS RIGHT WHERE MEXICO
CITY IS.
BUT THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING
SALAMANDER.
MOST SALAMANDERS STARTED IN
WATER THERE AN END SYBIAN SO
THEY HAVE TO GO.
THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH WATER
AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIFE.
BUT THIS PARTICULAR AMPHIBIAN
NEVER LEAVES THE WATER AND HE'S
GOT TO CHARACTERIZE STICKS THAT
ALLOW HIM TO STAY IN WATER.
>> SEE THESE REALLY COOL LOOK
LIKE FLAMES ON THE SIDE OF HIM.
YEAH, THOSE ARE EXTERNAL GILLS
.
MOST SALAMANDERS WILL LOSE
THOSE IN THE LARVAL STAGE AND
SEE HIS DORSAL FIN RIGHT HERE.
THAT'S ANOTHER TRAIT THAT A
LARVA HAS NOT THE ADULTS BUT
THESE ARE KIND OF UNIQUE IN THE
ANIMAL WORLD AND IF YOU THINK
ABOUT ANIMALS IT DOES HAVE A
BACKBONE.
SO I ALWAYS LIKE TO TELL MY
STUDENTS IT'S A MUSH CRUNCH
WHICH MEANS LIKE A MUSH
CRUNCHES AND SO OUR VERTEBRAE
THIS IS YOUR SKULL AND THIS MY
ARM IS YOUR VERTEBRAE.
THERE ARE FIVE VERTEBRATE
GROUPS MAMMALS, BIRDS, FISH,
REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS AND
THAT MAKES UP THE ANIMAL
KINGDOM OF THINGS WITH
BACKBONES.
SO THIS GUY HAS A BACKBONE BUT
HE THIS ONE ACTUALLY PROBABLY
CAME FROM A COLONY THAT WAS
STARTED IN NINETEEN TWENTY
FOUR.
THEY BROUGHT THESE THESE
AXOLOTL FROM MEXICO STARTED IN
NEW YORK BUT IN NINETEEN FIFTY
SEVEN I YOU HAD THE ONLY
AXOLOTL BREEDING COLONY FOR
SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES IT'S NOW
DOWN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
KENTUCKY BUT WHAT MAKES THIS SO
INTERESTING TO SCIENCE IS THEY
STUDY THEIR GENETICS BUT THESE
GUYS CAN DO SOMETHING MOST
VERTEBRATES CAN'T DO IF THEY
LOSE A LIMB IT WILL GROW BACK
AND IF THEY LOSE A TAIL YEAH.
VERY HANDY.
I KNOW A STUDY HERE.
>> YEAH, EXACTLY.
YOU GOT TO MAKE UP FOR IT BUT
I'LL TELL YOU THEY ACTUALLY
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF STUDY ON
HOW THEY DO THAT AND THERE'S
BEEN A LOT OF SCIENTISTS TRYING
TO UNLOCK THE KEY BECAUSE THAT
COULD DO SO MUCH FOR US IF WE
CAN LEARN HOW TO TRIGGER OUR
DNA TO GROW BACK SOMETHING AND
SO THEY'RE JUST COOL TOO.
THEY HAVE A REALLY COOL FACE.
THEY COME IN THE GENETICS OF
THEM.
THEY COME IN ALBINO'S AND
WHITES AND IN THE WILD THERE
ARE DARK GREEN LIKE THIS.
THEY ARE THREATENED IN THEIR
NATURAL HABITAT MOSTLY BECAUSE
THOSE WATERWAYS IN MEXICO CITY
ARE NO LONGER PART OF
WATERWAYS.
IT'S MILLIONS OF PEOPLE LIVE
THERE AND THEY'RE ALSO THEY EAT
WORMS OR CRUSTACEANS, INSECTS,
SMALL FISH EACH OTHER.
>> OH, THAT'S HANDY.
AND THEY'RE PREDATORS SPAWNED
BY BIRDS.
YOU GET YOUR HANDS WET IF YOU'D
LIKE TO TOUCH THEM SINCE IT IS
AN AMPHIBIAN THEIR SKIN HAS TO
BE WET.
WE HAVE AMPHIBIANS IN INDIANA
BUT NOTHING LIKE THIS.
WE HAVE A CLOSE RELATIVE CALLED
THE HELLBENDER WHICH GETS QUITE
LARGE BUT THIS IS A PRETTY
LARGE THAT THIS GUY SEEMS MORE
ACTIVE THAN THE OTHER ONE IS.
>> ARE THERE ANY DIFFERENCES?
THIS LOOKS MORE DURABLE FOR
WHATEVER REASON IS HE OR ALL
ANIMALS HAVE PERSONALITIES THAT
GUY DID NOT LIKE WHEN I GOT HIM
OUT OF THE WATER RUSHMORE AND
THIS ONE NOW YOU CAN SEE THE
BLACK EYES ON IT AND THEY JUST
HAVE A COOL LOOKING FACE ON
HERE.
>> BUT YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL
OF THEY DO THEY HAVE ANYTHING
THAT COULD POTENTIALLY HURT,
YOU KNOW, BUT THEY WILL EAT IF
YOU KEEP A BUNCH OF THEM
TOGETHER THEY WILL EAT THE
FINGERS OFF.
I MEAN YOU JUST GOT TO KEEP
THEM LIKE ALL ANIMALS.
YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW TO TAKE
CARE OF THEM PROPERLY.
WE DON'T NEED TO BE TOGETHER.
WELL, MY FRIEND WHO RAISES
THESE I TOLD HER NOT TO PUT
THEM TOGETHER AND THAT'S HOW
SHE HAS ABOUT 400 OF THESE.
>> OH WOW.
SO THERE THEY THEY MULTIPLY
THEY DO LIKE ANY OTHER CREATURE
,A MALE AND A FEMALE.
THEY HAVE INTERNAL
FERTILIZATION AND THEY SPRAY
THE TANK ABOUT TWO HUNDRED EGGS
AND I HAD SOME FUN RAISING A
BUNCH THESE GUYS JUST KIND OF A
FUN THING TO DO FOR KIDS BUT
ONE OF THE THINGS WE WERE
TALKING ABOUT IN THE COMMERCIAL
BREAK IS THESE IN CAPTIVITY
LIVE FOR AN EXCEEDINGLY LONG
TIME ABOUT TEN TO FIFTEEN YEARS
IF YOU PROVIDE NOW IN NATURE
THAT WHITE WOMAN WOULD PROBABLY
BE PICKED OFF BY A GREAT AND
RATHER QUICKLY JUST BECAUSE
HE'S SO VISIBLE.
YEAH.
OR BY SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO EAT
THEM.
I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THEY ARE
A CULTURAL DELICACY IN PARTS OF
MEXICO WHICH I COULD PASS ON