What do axolotls eat?

Axolotls eat worms, insects, small fish, and just about anything else that can fit inside their mouth and swallow whole, including other salamanders.

In the lab, axolotls are fed brine shrimp, California blackworms (Lumbriculus varigatus), and salmon pellets. Terrestrial salamanders are fed crickets, worms, and beef liver. In the Ambystoma Colony, aquatic salamanders are fed food pellets.

Fun Facts

Why are axolotls the most studied salamander model?

Axolotls are used because they provide a vertebrate model organism that is easy to rear and breed in the lab.

Methods to care for axolotls have been perfected over many decades and they are the only salamanders that can be bred multiple times a year.

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