墨西哥呆萌代表： 六角恐龍(下) Forever a Teenager

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六角恐龍受到全球愛戴。近來牠在墨西哥城，也就是牠原本的家 園，獲選為官方圖像。

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Bruce、Antony

      Axolotls are loved and appreciated around the world. Mexico City, their original home, recently chose the axolotl as their official emoji. Also, the animal will be featured on the 50-peso bill in 2022. They are very popular as pets and as subjects of research in laboratories.

 　　However, wild axolotls are critically endangered. Their original natural habitat is Lake Xochimilco in the south of Mexico City, which has been under development for hundreds of years. It was originally an agricultural region, but has now become a popular tourist attraction. Axolotls are threatened by pollution and predators. They are prey for carp and tilapia, which were first introduced to the ecosystem to provide food for people.

 　　As the animal’s numbers decrease, museums have begun to celebrate it and raise awareness about it. At Axolotitlán in Mexico City, tourists join ecological tours to learn about the animal in its natural home so that they can better understand the urgent need to help the axolotl. Another facility is Casa del Axolote in Puebla, which is an aquarium with 15-20 axolotls of four different species on display. Hopefully, it is not too late to turn the tide and preserve this special species.

 　　六角恐龍受到全球愛戴。近來牠在墨西哥城，也就是牠原本的家園，獲選為官方圖像。此外，牠在 2022 年還會被印在五十比索的紙鈔上。作為寵物和實驗室的研究對象，六角恐龍擁有超高人氣。

 　　然而，野生的六角恐龍面臨到嚴重瀕臨絕種的問題。牠們原本的自然棲息地是位於墨西哥城南部的索奇米爾科湖，這個地區已經開發數百年。該地原本作為農業區，但現在則變成一個熱門的觀光景點。六角恐龍也受到汙染和掠食者的威脅。牠們是鯉魚和鯛魚的獵物，起先這兩種魚類是作為人們的食物而引進該生態系統的。

 　　有鑑於六角恐龍的數量減少，博物館開始對這種生物表達頌讚之情，並提高人們的意識來了解此生物所遭遇的情況。在墨西哥城的 Axolotitlán 機構，遊客參加生態旅遊，在牠們的自然家園認識六角恐龍，如此一來他們能夠更清楚地了解需要幫助六角恐龍的迫切性。另外一個機構則是在普埃布拉的 Casa del Axolote 水族館，他們展示了十五到二十隻，四種不同品種的六角恐龍。但願還來得及逆轉這樣的局勢來保護這樣特別的物種。

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