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Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) Fact Sheet: Diet & Feeding

Diet

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)

Feeding

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)

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