Onchain conservation for Mexico’s axolotls

AxoloDAO connects institutions, researchers and communities to protect the 17 Ambystoma species through public digital infrastructure.

Species map
Biomuseo Xolotlcalli Axolotls in custody
Problem

Axolotl conservation is at risk

Several species of the genus Ambystoma are endangered. So is the biological data that documents them and the funding of those who conserve them.

Solution

Blockchain as public infrastructure

AxoloDAO preserves axolotl biological data on decentralized public infrastructure and economically sustains those who register each specimen.

Onchain capital dedicated to conservation

axolodao.eth coordinates public funding for axolotls through the Xolotlcalli BioMuseum.

Since October 2025

17

Species mapped

Ambystoma documented in the interactive map.

3

Species in custody

14 specimens in custody.

+2,500

BioMuseum visitors

People who have met the axolotls.

+100

Onchain transactions

Verifiable movements on axolodao.eth.

+5 ETH

Dedicated to conservation

Onchain capital allocated to Ambystoma.

AxoloDAO nodes

Three onchain organizations coordinate daily operations.

Digital infrastructure & system design

zenbit.axolodao.eth

Node focused on research, development and innovation in public digital infrastructure, open-source software and Ethereum-based public goods. Coordinates AxoloDAO's technical and data backbone.

x · @zenbitMX instagram · @zenbit.eth

Conservation & field practice

xolotlcalli.axolodao.eth

Water quality Axolotls in custody

BioMuseum in Querétaro dedicated to care, exhibition and ex-situ reproduction of Ambystoma. Hosts the weekly Maintenance Monday session and bridges public education with research.

instagram · @xolotlcalli.mx x · @Xolotlcalli_mx youtube · @Xolotlcalli

Community articulation & coordination

ndali.axolodao.eth

Community articulation node connecting researchers, educators and local participants. Coordinates calls, gatherings and the AxoloDAO podcast presence.

instagram · @ndali_centro_de_conexion

AxoloNews

Latest from the AxoloDAO nodes.

Pulso AxoloDAO

Weekly Instagram digest with news and podcast.

Pulso #22

Pulso AxoloDAO · Week 22 — Panchita closes her diagnosis (a permanent cataract with a healthy nerve) and returns to the Biomuseo, Shobi opens its tester call with remote adoption and rewards, May joins the team full-time, and a preview of the podcast on axolotl regeneration and genetics.

Pulso #21

Pulso AxoloDAO · Week 21 — Chocorrol returns to the Biomuseo after finishing its antifungal course, new Scossi lights debut a circadian cycle (dawn, UV, dusk and moon), Axolovision is now Xovi with remote adoption and token rewards, and a preview of the podcast on axolotl neoteny, regeneration and genetics.

Pulso #20

Pulso AxoloDAO · Week 20 — New quarantine area outside the Biomuseo, Rómulo and Chocorrol on antifungal treatment, hatchlings reveal phenotype (one leucistic, one wild-type), and a preview of the podcast on axolotl genetics.

Pulso #19

Pulso AxoloDAO · Week 19 — Loss of the leucistic A. mexicanum to an ammonia spike, two new A. mexicanum hatchlings, water parameters back to baseline, and a preview of the podcast on the A. mexicanum paradox.

Pulso #18

Pulso AxoloDAO · Week 18 — Climate control installed at the Biomuseo, World Amphibian Day, A. dumerilii system maintenance, and the launch of the axolotl directory on axolodao.org.

Pulso #17

Pulso AxoloDAO · Week 17 — SEMARNAT-approved management plan for A. velasci, A. mexicanum station unification, redesigned Monday maintenance reports, and the launch of the interactive species map.

Partners and allies

Academic, public and research institutions that sustain the work.

Inteli logo

Inteli

Instituto de Tecnologia e Liderança (São Paulo)

Inteli collaborates with AxoloDAO on the design and implementation of the AxoloDAO System, the axolotl & environment data system. Students and faculty contribute applied research on public digital infrastructure.

website instagram · @inteli_edu
SQ

SECULT Querétaro

Secretaría de Cultura del Estado de Querétaro

Public ally in Querétaro supporting Xolotlcalli's educational and cultural activities and the articulation with local audiences.

website instagram · @secultqro
S

SEMARNAT

Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (México)

Mexican federal environmental authority. Provides the regulatory framework (NOM-059) and the official endangered-species registry that anchors AxoloDAO's work.

website instagram · @semarnat_mexico
U

UAQ

Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro

Collaboration with the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro through the Facultad de Ciencias Naturales and its Cuerpo Académico de Ecología y Diversidad Faunística (CAEyDF) — an academic group providing research capacity, technical criteria and scientific validation to the AxoloDAO ecosystem.

website instagram · @ecoydiv_faunistica.uaq

Axolotls and achoques of Mexico

Kingdom Animalia · Phylum Chordata · Class Amphibia · Order Caudata · Family Ambystomatidae · Genus Ambystoma

Browse by species or by state on the interactive map of Mexico.

…
Available online and onsite at BioMuseo Xolotlcalli

Active projects

Initiatives combining science, community and onchain tooling.

Xovi

Onchain participatory conservation: watch the livestream, spot behaviours and earn rewards caring for the axolotls.

Xovi (formerly Axolovision) is AxoloDAO's onchain interaction layer over the 24/7 livestream from the Xolotlcalli BioMuseum. Viewers detect axolotl behaviours live, submit them as clips, the community validates them, and every contribution is recorded on Ethereum/Base through EAS attestations and weekly XOVI token rewards. The Aliado and Guardián subscriptions work as remote axolotl adoption —recurring support that funds the colony's care— alongside an always-open free Visitante tier.

I want to be a Xovi tester View demo

AxoloDAO System

Axolotl & environment data system, in development with Inteli.

AxoloDAO System will be the node's open data infrastructure. Currently in development in collaboration with Inteli (Instituto de Tecnologia e Liderança, São Paulo), it will knit together sensors, field records and onchain attestations into a single public, verifiable data layer.

Explore the system

AxoloDAO Podcast

Weekly conversations from the microDAO with Alex, Juan and Habacuc.

The AxoloDAO podcast brings together Alex (Xolotlcalli), Juan (Ndali) and Habacuc (Zenbit) to talk about conservation, science, public digital infrastructure and lessons from the Biomuseo. Episodes are published on Xolotlcalli's YouTube channel and stay as an open archive.

Watch the podcast

How to participate

Three paths into the ecosystem.

Key concepts

Read the foundations: public goods, Ethereum, DAOs and microDAOs.

Public Goods

Non-rival and non-excludable resources: one person’s use does not reduce availability for others, and no one can be excluded. Ethereum’s infrastructure —protocol, clients, documentation— is treated as a digital public good sustained by a global community.

Ethereum

Ethereum has three dimensions: a decentralized network of nodes, a native asset (ETH), and programmable infrastructure via smart contracts. Since The Merge, its energy consumption dropped ~99.95% by migrating to Proof of Stake.

DAOs

Internet-native organizations that coordinate people, resources and decisions on top of Ethereum. AxoloDAO follows small-DAO design principles: 7 to 14 members and modular nodes that execute specific functions.

MicroDAOs

A lightweight on-ramp to Ethereum built on three primitives: ENS for identity, Safe for multisig treasury, and EAS for verifiable attestations. They let you launch an onchain organization in minutes without writing custom contracts.

Get an Ethereum wallet

An Ethereum wallet is a key pair: a public key (your address, like an account number) and a private key (a secret that signs transactions). You hold the private key; no one else can act on your behalf.

wallet.axolodao.org Under review

Create your onchain organization

StartupChain is a platform to spin up onchain organizations with ENS identity, a Safe treasury and EAS attestations from day one. It is the path we recommend to bootstrap your own microDAO.

startupchain.io