Once a quiet inhabitant of Mexico’s ancient canals, the axolotl has become one of the internet’s most recognizable creatures—smiling, pink, and endlessly reproduced in games, memes, and toys. Revered by the Aztecs and later rediscovered by scientists for its uncanny ability to regenerate limbs and remain forever youthful, the salamander’s leap to global fame came through Japanese kawaii culture and blockbuster games like Pokémon and Minecraft. In this episode, we explore how digital culture turned an obscure amphibian into a worldwide icon—and why that fame masks a grim reality. As pollution and development push the axolotl to the brink of extinction in its only natural home, the story reveals a modern paradox: how celebrity can both endanger and, perhaps, help save a species and the fragile ecosystem that sustains a megacity.

https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2024/12/19/how-the-axolotl-rose-from-obscurity-to-global-stardom