The amazing, regenerating axolotl

The axolotl is a salamander that does not undergo metamorphosis: adults remain aquatic and keep their gills. They owe their unique appearance in part to these feathery, protruding gills, arranged in three paired stalks behind their heads. Axolotls also have a distinctive caudal fin stretching from the head almost to the vent. Their blunt snouts and large mouths contribute to their charisma.

Lab Anim. (NY) 41, 39 (2012).

view full text (login required)

[NOTE: after this piece was published, i received the following feedback from a reader.]

For the past year I’ve been an avid reader of Lab Animal. In your current issue (February, 2012), the “Model of the Month” column particularly caught my attention and was a wonderful introduction to axolotls as a model organism for tissue regeneration research and developmental biology. As a biologist and neuroethologist it is nice to see acknowledgment of the importance of biologically diverse model organisms in research.

J.D.