Granular salamander


The granular salamander or ajolote is a species of mole salamander in the Ambystomatidae family. It is found only in Mexico.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, and ponds.
It is threatened by habitat loss and overcropping along with the scaling of their skins.

Early Life

Ambystoma granulosum face high mortality rates in early stages of development in nature due to insufficient nutrition and anthropogenic factors such as contamination and habitat degradation. Larval Ambystoma granulosum display distinct changes in feeding patterns with increasing age, preferring smaller prey in early larval stages and larger prey in later weeks. Low natural availability of prey in the wild lead to food deficiencies and increased early stage mortality.

Distribution

Ambystoma granulosum is endemic to a small area of central Mexico close to and just to the north west of Toluca in Mexico State, at an altitude of around. Its population size is unknown.