Chapter 1
The water monster of Mexico's floating gardens
Chapter 2
The superpower of eternal youth
Chapter 3
The ultimate self-healing master
Chapter 4
From Aztec gods to Minecraft stars
YOUR GOAL
Master of The smiling water monster of Xochimilco
Ch 3 · The ultimate self-healing master
misslily The Self-Healing Axolotl
I can lose a limb and grow it right back (Grow it back!) / My heart and my brain heal without a track (Oh-oh, yeah!)
misslily A French military expedition shipped 34 axolotls from Mexico, and zoologist Auguste Duméril successfully bred six at the
misslily A hand-drawn anime axolotl carefully stitches a cracked pink heart back together.
Fun Fact
Infinite healing: An axolotl can perfectly regrow the exact same limb up to a hundred times, with each replacement being as functional as the original.
Glossary
regeneration (noun)
The biological process of regrowing or replacing damaged or lost tissues, organs, or limbs. Axolotls employ this process to flawlessly rebuild lost limbs, spinal cords, and brain tissue within months.
The biological process of regrowing or replacing damaged or lost tissues, organs, or limbs. Axolotls employ this process to flawlessly rebuild lost limbs, spinal cords, and brain tissue within months.
Quiz
What special cells do axolotls recruit to the site of an injury to begin regrowing a limb?
Quiz
What is the name of the special mass of cells that forms at the tip of an axolotl's amputated limb to guide regeneration?
Quiz
Why is the axolotl considered the oldest self-sustaining laboratory animal population?
Quiz
Approximately how much of its heart ventricle can an axolotl completely regenerate?
Quiz
Which complex central nervous system structure can axolotls partially regrow after an injury?
Quiz
How many live axolotls were shipped from Mexico to Paris in 1863, starting the global lab population?