Summary
Most salamanders lose their gills and leave the water as adults — but the axolotl keeps its feathery gills and stays aquatic its whole life. Deep Look explores this salamander's unusual life cycle and its power to regrow body parts.
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All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Talk about it
Many salamanders change a lot as they grow up, moving from water to land. The axolotl breaks that pattern — it keeps its young, water-living body features for life.
- How is the axolotl's life cycle different from most salamanders'?
- What young features does the axolotl keep as an adult?
- Why is it interesting to scientists that the axolotl can regrow body parts?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: life cycle, gills, aquatic, salamander.
Try it: Compare a tadpole-to-frog change with the axolotl. Write one way the axolotl's life cycle is unusual.