Learn all about axolotls — unique salamanders that keep their baby features even when they grow up. Perfect for curious 7-year-olds!
An axolotl is a special kind of salamander, which is an animal that looks like a frog but has a long tail. What makes the axolotl really cool is that even when it grows up, it still looks like a baby salamander!
Most animals, like frogs or regular salamanders, change a lot as they grow. They lose their baby features and start looking like adults. But axolotls keep their little baby traits, like their big feathery gills on the sides of their heads, even when they become adults. This is why people sometimes call them "the eternal babies of the salamander world."
This kind of staying young feature is called neoteny. Because of it, axolotls stay underwater all their lives and can even grow back lost body parts, like legs and tails!
So, an axolotl is a very special animal that stays a little baby forever, and it's exciting to learn about!