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[00:00.43] A new museum in Mexico aims to educate the public about the critically endangered axolotl salamander.

[00:11.58] The museum recently opened at Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City.

[00:19.29] The axolotl is native only to Mexico.

[00:23.80] The animal is extremely endangered in the wild because its natural environment is increasingly threatened.

[00:34.16] The salamander has captured wide attention for its ability to heal itself when its body gets harmed.

[00:43.72] For example, the animal can regrow legs and damaged tissue.

[00:50.37] It can even repair problems affecting the heart and brain.

[00:56.47] Scientists have also documented how the salamander can breathe with lungs and gills.

[01:04.98] It can also take in oxygen through its skin.

[01:09.23] This can cause problems if the animal comes in contact with polluted water.

[01:16.93] "They are one of the few animals that can regenerate their skin, muscles, bones, blood vessels, nerves, heart, brain," said Fernando Gual, a conservation official at the zoo.

[01:33.66] Speaking about the museum, Gual said he sees it as a valuable tool to inform citizens about the unusual creature.

[01:46.41] "A hugely important part of this space is environmental education," he said.

[01:54.91] In Aztec tradition, a rebel god named Xolotl turned himself into an axolotl to hide and avoid being killed by his other gods.

[02:08.46] But the god was still discovered, captured and killed.

[02:14.57] Axolotl salamanders were also commonly eaten by Aztec kings.

[02:22.27] The axolotl that is native to Mexico City's southern Xochimilco area is especially well-known.

[02:31.57] But Gual noted that 16 other kinds of axolotls also call Mexico home.

[02:40.33] In the past, axolotls did very well in Xochimilco's muddy canals.

[02:47.24] The canals are the only remaining part of a once large waterway system dating back to Aztec times.

[02:57.33] But studies have shown the spread of cities, polluted water and non-native fish that eat the salamanders have led to their near-total collapse.

[03:10.88] Still, Xochimilco still holds nearly 11 percent of Mexico's biodiversity, Gual said.

[03:19.91] The term biodiversity describes the number and kinds of plants and animals that exist in a particular area.

[03:31.07] With Mexico’s 370 different kinds of amphibians, the country ranks number 5 in biodiversity worldwide.

[03:43.02] As the museum opened to its first visitors, the axolotl's popularity with the public was very clear.

[03:52.85] "The truth is I'm very, very, very, very excited to be able to see how they eat, how they live, just how they are," said one visitor named Fernando.

[04:07.73] The man, who did not want to give his last name, showed off a small axolotl tattoo he had on his arm.

[04:17.55] "I'm marked for life," he said.