Field Notes: Axolotls (Patreon)

Coming up on Deep Look: axolotls! Native to the lakes of Mexico City, these frilly salamanders are nearly extinct in the wild. But they are surviving in research labs all over the world, studied for their amazing regenerative abilities. Producer Mike Seely and cinematographer Josh Cassidy traveled down to Santa Cruz to film these remarkable creatures.

With the help of Ph.D. student Regina Spranger, they set up an aquarium for the axolotls in a tent outside of the University of California, Santa Cruz Coastal Biology Building.

Spranger is working in the Sinervo Lab on a study about salamanders’ capacity to adapt to climate change, and brought out several animals for the team to film. These are two adult two axolotls in separate containers.

This tiny yellow axolotl hatchling –– waiting for its close-up in a petri dish –– was only a few weeks old.

The dark tent helped cut down on reflection in the glass of the aquarium, and also allowed the production team to have more airflow due to ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19.

This episode premieres next Tuesday, July 13, but Patreon supporters will get a sneak peek this Friday!

Photos: Mike Seely/KQED