Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) Fact Sheet: Diet & Feeding

Wild populations

• Adults
• Small fish, worms and insects (Zambrano 2006; Zambrano et al. 2010b)
• Small crustaceans (Zambrano et al. 2010b)
• Crayfish (Zambrano et al. 2015)
• Also semiaquatic flies and algae (Zambrano 2006; Zambrano et al. 2010b)
• Larvae
• Feed on zooplankton and worms (de Jesus Chaparro-Herrera et al. 2011; Chaparro-Herrera et al. 2013)

Hunting strategy

• Adults typically ambush predators (de Jesus Chaparro-Herrera et al. 2011)
• Larvae mostly benthic; rarely swim high in water to feed (de Jesus Chaparro-Herrera et al. 2011; Zambrano et al. 2015)
• Detect prey visually (Chaparro-Herrera et al. 2020)
• Polluted water hinders ability to feed (Chaparro-Herrera et al. 2013)
• Possibly due to muted scent cues

Competition

• Appear to compete with larval fish for zooplankton prey (Chaparro-Herrera et al. 2013)