The axolotl has captured hearts thanks to TikTok and the popular video game Minecraft. ... Right now, he said, eyeless axolotls are popping up in the industry as a result of inbreeding.

Axolotl tamales were a favorite, served whole with cornmeal and corn leaves. In 1787, Francesco Clavigero wrote that “the axolotl is wholesome to eat, and is of much the same taste with an eel.

A worker shows an axolotl in a hatchery to preserve the species on August 19, 2019 in Mexico City, Mexico. CREDIT: Eyepix/NurPhoto via Getty Images. NurPhoto ...

The axolotl has captured hearts thanks to TikTok and the popular video game Minecraft. More and more people have been getting them as pets, which is impacting how they're bred and sold.