Axolotls live exclusively in freshwater lakes and canals in Mexico, primarily in Lake Xochimilco and formerly in Lake Chalco, both located in the Valley of Mexico near Mexico City. These lakes are high-altitude bodies of water characterized by murky water and abundant aquatic plants, which provide shelter, food, and breeding grounds for axolotls

. Historically, axolotls also inhabited Lake Texcoco and other interconnected lakes in the region, but many of these lakes have been drained or heavily altered due to urbanization and development in Mexico City, severely reducing their natural habitat

. Today, Lake Chalco no longer exists, and Lake Xochimilco remains as a remnant, mainly consisting of canals where axolotls survive in small numbers

. Axolotls are aquatic and neotenic, meaning they retain their larval features and live permanently in water, unlike most salamanders that metamorphose and live on land

. Because of habitat loss, pollution, and invasive species, wild axolotl populations have drastically declined, and the species is critically endangered in the wild

. In summary, wild axolotls live only in the freshwater canals and remnants of Lake Xochimilco in Mexico City, Mexico