The Axolotl That Never Grows Up
Real animals that sound made up. Every claim in these episodes is checked against published science or museum sources.
The story
(14) Meet the salamander that never grows up, and can regrow its own limbs. (22) The axolotl of Mexico keeps its frilly external gills and lives in the water its whole life. Scientists call that neoteny. (22) Most salamanders leave the water and become land adults. Axolotls stay kid-shaped on the outside, but they can still breed.
(28) Lose a limb? It can grow it back. Researchers also report they can repair parts of the heart, spinal cord, eyes, and even the brain, usually without a scar. (16) In the wild, they live only in the canals and wetlands around Lake Xochimilco near Mexico City. (18) They're listed as Critically Endangered. Pink pet-shop ones are common; wild brown ones are rare.
(14) What really happened? A forever-young salamander that scientists study to learn how bodies heal.