The Axolotl, the Salamander That Regrows
A favourite of regeneration research is critically endangered in the only place it lives in the wild.
By Biosphere Editorial Team · 2026-08-11
The axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum, is a salamander that never fully grows up. It keeps its larval features — including its feathery external gills — for its whole life and stays in the water, a trait called neoteny.
A master of regeneration
Axolotls can regrow lost limbs, parts of the spinal cord, tissue of the heart and parts of the brain, often without scarring. That is why they are among the most studied animals in regeneration research.
Common in labs, rare in nature
While millions of axolotls live in laboratories and aquariums, the wild population is Critically Endangered. Surveys have recorded a steep decline over recent decades, driven by polluted water, urban growth and introduced fish that eat axolotl eggs and young.