Why Axolotls Use External Gills to Breathe Underwater - Simple Explanation for 4-Year-Olds

Q: no scientific name of the gills

Hi! Axolotls live in water, so they need a way to breathe there. They have fluffy, feathery little branches sticking out of their heads. When water moves by, those fluffy branches catch tiny bits of air from the water so the axolotl can breathe. That way it can stay underwater without coming up for air.

Q: i mean scientific name

The axolotl’s scientific name is Ambystoma mexicanum. That’s the fancy name scientists use. You can say it like this: am-BIS-toh-muh mex-ih-KAH-num.

Q: what are they called

They’re called gills (or “external gills”). Say it like this: gills. They’re the feathery things that help the axolotl breathe underwater.

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Why Axolotls Use External Gills to Breathe Underwater - Simple Explanation for 4-Year-Olds

Learning Corner · Accepted Answer

Hi there! Let me tell you about a very special animal called an axolotl. It lives in water, like a fish. But instead of having lungs like we do to breathe air, the axolotl has something called external gills.

These gills look like little feathery branches that stick out from the sides of its head. They help the axolotl breathe by taking oxygen from the water, just like how we take oxygen from the air.

So, the axolotl’s gills are like tiny magical lungs on the outside of its body that help it live and breathe underwater!

Why Axolotls Use External Gills to Breathe Underwater - Simple Explanation for 4-Year-Olds

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no scientific name of the gills

i mean scientific name

what are they called