Critically endangered axolotls that were captive-bred then released into wetlands in Mexico City have successfully adapted to the wild, a new study has found, giving new hope to scientists trying to save the species from extinction. Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum), found only in Lake Xochimilco, are one of the world’s most adored — and threatened — salamanders. Between 2017 and 2018, a team of researchers released then tracked 18 captive-bred axolotls in the ancient lake south of Mexico City, and in a nearby artificial wetland, to see how they would fare in the wild. “The amazing news is that they all survived,” study lead author Alejandra Ramos, a biologist at the Autonomous University of Baja California, told BBC News. “And not only that, but the ones that we recaptured had gained weight — so they’re hunting.” Axolotls retain juvenile features into adulthood, a rare trait called neoteny, which contributes to their reputation as “incredibly cute” with their wide eyes, feathery gills and smile-shaped mouth. They can also regrow limbs and organs, garnering interest in the medical world, particularly in antiaging animal experimentation and cancer research. “If an axolotl loses an arm or leg, it grows back within two months, and it functions as before. The same with its eyes or brain,” biologist Vania Mendoza, the 2024-2025 Axolotl Census coordinator, previously told Mongabay contributor Boris Van Der Spek. Fascination with axolotls has led to a boom in captivity, with most individuals of the species today being kept in homes and labs. Meanwhile,…This article was originally published on Mongabay