What started as a personal interest in a unique amphibian, quickly escalated into two awards for Brock employee Tom Eles.

The Animal Care Technician with the Office of Research Services was recently recognized by the Canadian Association for Lab Animal Sciences (CALAS) for a presentation and article he wrote about axolotls, an endangered amphibian from Mexico.

Eles won Best in Show at the 2017 CALAS conference for a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation on axolotls’ husbandry and their ability to regenerate limbs, as well as Best Article at the 2018 CALAS conference for an article he wrote about the same topic.

A hobbyist amphibian and reptile breeder, Eles purchased the axolotls several years ago to keep as aquarium pets.

One of several axolotls Tom Eles keeps as an aquarium pet in his office at Brock.

“Axolotls are a type of salamander that permanently stay in their larval form,” he said. “Typically, salamanders would metamorphose into a terrestrial, land-dwelling form, but these guys don’t. They don’t absorb the external gills that are found on aquatic larval salamanders, but stay aquatic their whole lives.”

Eles’ interest in axolotls made its way into his involvement with the Brock Toastmasters Club.

“I joined Brock Toastmasters in 2016 to help develop my public speaking skills,” he said. “We meet every Wednesday at lunch and several members give a speech. I chose to speak about axolotls.”

“What I find especially interesting about axolotls is their ability to regenerating limbs. Researchers use axolotls in their studies because of their ability to incorporate DNA really well, including a green fluorescing protein (GFP) normally found in jellyfish that glows under black light. Adding the GFP to an amputated area allows researchers to see what’s happening more closely with regenerative processes. The skin and muscles forming from new cells in the growing appendage would glow vivid green. Any growth from original cells would not glow.”

Eles then expanded his speech for the aquarium club he’s a part of. He transformed his original seven-minute speech into a 45-minute presentation for aquarium enthusiasts.

The well-received talk led Eles to volunteer as a presenter at the 2018 CALAS symposium, a conference he’s been attending annually as a 10-year member of the organization.

“I had already done most of the work. I just needed to modify the presentation slightly for a more technical audience,” he said.

At the end of the conference, Eles was awarded with Best in Show, chosen by popular vote.

“I was genuinely surprised. With the exception of special keynotes, all presenters, seminars and workshops qualify for the award,” he said. “In addition to presenting at the conference, I was volunteering as photographer for the awards ceremony. When I heard my name called, I had to figure out what to do with my camera gear.”

Months later, members from CALAS contacted Eles and asked him to transform his presentation into an article for the member magazine. He happily obliged.

When he attended the 2018 conference this past May, Eles was surprised a second time when he was honoured with the Envigo Teklad Member’s Magazine Award.

“This entire experience was a fruitful endeavor,” he said. I was awarded two cash prizes for writing about an animal I have great interest in and I refined my writing and presentation skills. Above all else, I’m proud to have represented Brock at a national conference.”

More about axolotls

Axolotls are critically-endangered amphibians from Mexico City. Although they are common and abundant in captivity, they’re nearly extinct in the wild. According to Eles, there’s a small population of them living in a rowing channel that was dug for the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, adjacent to where they used to live in the wild.

“They’re easy to care for and they’re quite prolific,” said Eles. “They can lay 300 to 1,000 eggs at one time. Because of this, they’re a popular aquarium pet.”