An Egret perches on the banks of a canal in Xochimilco Lake in Mexico City, Wednesday Oct. 8, 2008. Xochimilco is the original natural habitat of the endangered Axolotl salamander, or Ambystoma Mexicanum, and Mexican and international researchers are racing to save it, pushing for the creation of a series of Axolotl "sanctuaries" in sections of canal cleared of invasive species where it can thrive.
An Axolotl salamander, or Ambystoma mexicanum, swims in a tank at the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, Sept. 27, 2008. Scientists warn that the roughly foot-long amphibian is just a few years away from extinction, a victim of the draining of its lake habitat, deteriorating water quality, and what is perhaps the final stake in its heart: the invasion of non-native fish species that are eating its eggs and larva, and competing with it for food.
Roberto Altamirano, a villager working with scientists of the UNAM National University, casts a net in search of Axolotl salamanders in one of the canals of the Xochimilco Lake region of Mexico City, Wednesday Oct. 8, 2008. Xochimilco is the original natural habitat of the endangered Axolotl salamander (Ambystoma Mexicanum), and Mexican and international researchers are racing to save the salamander, pushing for the creation of a series of Axolotl "sanctuaries" in sections of canal cleared of invasive species where it can thrive. Scientists estimate the number of surviving Axolotls living in the wild are in the "hundreds" and say that unless urgent action is taken, the Axolotl could disappear in the wild in five years.
Florentino Munoz waters Cempasuchil flowers grown on a floating island, or chinampa, in Xochimilco Lake in Mexico City, Wednesday Oct. 8, 2008. Xochimilco is the original natural habitat of the endangered Axolotl salamander, or Ambystoma Mexicanum, and Mexican and international researchers are racing to save it, pushing for the creation of a series of Axolotl "sanctuaries" in sections of canal cleared of invasive species where it can thrive.
An Axolotl salamander, (Ambystoma mexicanum), swims in a tank at the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, Sept. 27, 2008. Against all odds the Axolotl still survives amid Mexico City's urban sprawl in a maze of brackish canals and waterways that is all that remains of Lake Xochimilco, But scientists warn that the roughly foot-long amphibian is just a few years away from extinction, a victim of the draining of its lake habitat, deteriorating water quality, and what is perhaps the final stake in its heart: the invasion of non-native fish species that are eating its eggs and larva, and competing with it for food.
A mural painted by graffiti artists called "Colectivo Axolotl" is seen near Xochimilco Lake in Mexico City, Wednesday Oct. 8, 2008. Xochimilco is the original natural habitat of the endangered Axolotl salamander, or Ambystoma Mexicanum, and Mexican and international researchers are racing to save it, pushing for the creation of a series of Axolotl "sanctuaries" in sections of canal cleared of invasive species where it can thrive.
A dolls lies in foliage at the entrance to the Island of the Dolls, a place full dolls found in the canals which the original owner used as a way to ward against the spirits he felt inhabited the area after a young girl's accidental drowning, in Xochimilco Lake in Mexico City, Wednesday Oct. 8, 2008. Xochimilco Lake is the original natural habitat of the endangered Axolotl salamander, or Ambystoma Mexicanum, and the first pilot sanctuary for it will be in the waters surrounding Doll Island, where it will be safe from invasive species where it can thrive.
Dolls hang from trees at the entrance to the Island of the Dolls, a place full dolls found in the canals which the original owner used as a way to ward against the spirits he felt inhabited the area after a young girl's accidental drowning, in Xochimilco Lake in Mexico City, Wednesday Oct. 8, 2008. Xochimilco Lake is the original natural habitat of the endangered Axolotl salamander, or Ambystoma Mexicanum, and the first pilot sanctuary for it will be in the waters surrounding Doll Island, where it will be safe from invasive species where it can thrive.
A man holds an African tilapia fish in the waters of Xochimilco Lake region in Mexico City Wednesday Oct. 8, 2008. Xochimilco Lake is the original natural habitat of the endangered Axolotl salamander, or Ambystoma Mexicanum, and Mexican and international researchers are racing to save it, pushing for the creation of a series of Axolotl "sanctuaries" in sections of canal cleared of invasive species, such as the Tilapia, where it can thrive.
Villagers travel in a traditional trajinera boat in a canal in Xochimilco Lake in Mexico City, Wednesday Oct. 8, 2008. Xochimilco is the original natural habitat of the endangered Axolotl salamander, or Ambystoma Mexicanum, and Mexican and international researchers are racing to save it, pushing for the creation of a series of Axolotl "sanctuaries" in sections of canal cleared of invasive species where it can thrive.
A veterinarian handles an Axolotl salamander, or Ambystoma mexicanum, in Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, Sept. 27, 2008. Scientists warn that the roughly foot-long amphibian is just a few years away from extinction, a victim of the draining of its lake habitat, deteriorating water quality, and what is perhaps the final stake in its heart: the invasion of non-native fish species that are eating its eggs and larva, and competing with it for food.
An Axolotl salamander, or Ambystoma mexicanum, swims to the surface for air in a tank at the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, Sept. 27, 2008. Scientists warn that the roughly foot-long amphibian is just a few years away from extinction, a victim of the draining of its lake habitat, deteriorating water quality, and what is perhaps the final stake in its heart: the invasion of non-native fish species that are eating its eggs and larva, and competing with it for food.
An Axolotl salamander, or Ambystoma mexicanum, swims in a tank at the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, Sept. 27, 2008. Scientists warn that the roughly foot-long amphibian is just a few years away from extinction, a victim of the draining of its lake habitat, deteriorating water quality, and what is perhaps the final stake in its heart: the invasion of non-native fish species that are eating its eggs and larva, and competing with it for food.
A canal in Xochimilco Lake in Mexico City, Wednesday Oct. 8, 2008. Xochimilco is the original natural habitat of the endangered Axolotl salamander, or Ambystoma Mexicanum, and Mexican and international researchers are racing to save it, pushing for the creation of a series of Axolotl "sanctuaries" in sections of canal cleared of invasive species where it can thrive.
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