Axolotls are Cool

So, why would we pick an obscure amphibian as the 2024 maze theme? There are so many reasons! Here are ten of them:

1. So cute and always smiling!
2. So absurd! Check out those fringy things on their heads… guess what—they’re gills!
3. Can grow new limbs or organs if necessary. HOW?? We need to know…
4. “The Peter Pan” of the animal world—they never grow up and leave the water to live on land as normal salamanders do.
5. Minecraft. (If you know, you know…)
6. Endangered—they are only found in two lakes in Mexico. Let’s remember that if we want to share our world with amazing creatures like axolotls we need to help them out and stop destroying ecosystems around the world.
7. Their sweet little faces hijack the human mind’s “cuteness detector”. Ever wonder why we gush over babies, adorably “smiling” animals, and kawaii characters? Turns out we have an innate bias towards cute things that is part of our empathy and nurturing brain apparatus*.
8. Voted in as the 2024 maze theme. Thank you to all of those on social media and our email newsletter who voted.
9. Pun Potential — we suspect you all will be asking a lotl questions at the farm this year.
10. Sometimes we all just need something we can agree on: how about “Axolotls Are Cool” ?