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Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)

Heather Vlach Rio Canea Caecilian stretches out at the Central Park Zoo.

Where found : Only one place in the world- Lake Xochimilco, southeast of Mexico City. Unfortunately, because of damming, this amphibian is rapidly losing habitat. At the Central Park Zoo, you can view our black and our albino axolotls on the Mezzanine level of the Tropic building.

Diet : Worms, tadpoles, insect larvae, crustaceans, and wounded fish.

Interesting note : Axolotls do not go through metamorphosis like the rest of amphibians. They maintain their gills, which are visible on either side of their heads.

Rio Canea caecilian (Typhlonectes natans) AKA Rubber eel, Black eel

Where found : Rivers and streams of Columbia and Venezuela.

Diet : Earthworms, slow or sick fish, and insects. At the Central Park Zoo, the caecilians are fed earthworms, black worms, minnows, and wax worms (larvae of the greater wax moth).

Description : A grayish-black amphibian that resembles a large earthworm or a smaller snake. These carnivorous animals are blind and legless.

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