You may have heard me talk about these bizarre creatures called axolotls. They are weird because they are one of the only creatures to have both lungs AND gills. However, this is not why axolotls are so popular in the scientific community. Scientists love these little salamanders because they are one of the only vertebrates in the world that can regenerate limbs. They can re-grow almost anything including legs, gills, or even parts of their head!

It is because of this regenerative capability that scientists spend so much time studying them. I know what you’re thinking; maybe if we can figure out how they do it, we can do it too!!! Let’s not get ahead of our selves. Our limbs are a lot more complex then an axolotl’s limbs but we are studying how they do it anyway. Check this article out from Sci-News.com.

Don’t forget if you want to see one of these creatures up close and personal, come visit the Life Science Lab here at the Saint Louis Science Center, or talk to you teachers! We have an axolotl in the classroom program that could land one of these little dudes right inside of your classroom!