How do axolotls keep their gills for life?
Quick Answer
Axolotls often stay in a juvenile form for life, a trait called neoteny, so they keep their feathery external gills as adults. They usually do not undergo the full metamorphosis seen in many other salamanders.
The Full Story
Most salamanders transform from an aquatic larval stage into a more land-based adult, but axolotls usually remain aquatic and retain their external gills. This is an example of neoteny, where adult animals keep juvenile traits. They still have lungs, but their gills remain useful for extracting oxygen from water. In some cases, changes in hormones or environmental conditions can trigger partial metamorphosis, but the typical wild axolotl stays in its gilled form.
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Suggested video title for this topic:
"The salamander that never grows up"
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