In February, a crowd gathered around Mexico City’s Lake Xochimilco to witness the release of endemic salamanders called axolotls, culturally revered amphibians at risk of extinction because of the lake’s pollution. After a ritual ceremony with prehispanic flutes and incense, mayors from different wards of the city dropped six bred-in-captivity axolotl (pronounced AK-suh-laa-tl) into the