Wonders of God’s Creation

Wonders of GOD’SCreation

Axolotls: More Than Just a Funny Face

With lidless eyes, a prominent, feathery headdress and a perpetually goofy-looking smile, there’s no mistaking the axolotl. (The headdress isn’t just for show. Those colorful stalks are actually external gills whose distinctive feathery filaments allow for a quick exchange of gases.) These critically endangered amphibians are a neotenic species. This means that, like frogs, they develop lungs as they grow—but unlike frogs, they don’t lose their gills as they mature. Although grown axolotls can breathe air, they still must live underwater. What truly sets axolotls apart as wonders of God’s creation is their ability to regenerate—not just their toes or limbs, but even portions of their spinal cord, heart, lungs and brain. They appear to be able to regrow a single limb many times without experiencing any scarring or imperfections. Scientists are eager to understand how exactly this ability works, but it will probably take a while. Axolotls have the largest genome ever sequenced—more than 10 times larger than our own. Pictured: axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) Photo by James Capo Text by Jeremy Lallier