Plenty To Smile About For Axolotl

This rare Axolotl salamander has a reason to smile as he welcomes visitors as the star attraction at an Aquaria Fun Park in Austria.

Unlike his relatives he has not ended up struggling to escape pollution back home in Mexico or being experimented in a lab where they are a much sought after research object.

They have been almost wiped out in the wild due to pollution and the fact they are widely regarded as a tasty delicacy.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s annual Red List of threatened species lists only two lakes still known to have specimens.

In captivity they are also popular – but unlike this lucky specimen it is mainly in laboratories where they are prized for their ability to grow new limbs when they are severed, and the ease on which their young can be experimented with.

It was regarded as a medical sensation when it was found the can Axolotl not only fully regenerate limbs but also internal organs, including it’s spine and part of its brain.

Scientists believe the animal could eventually hold the key to human limb regeneration.

So safe in his home at the aquarium in Steinerkirchen an der Traun in Austria this Axolotl has a few things to be grateful for.