How Do Axolotls Breathe Underwater?
Axolotls are special salamanders that live in water. They breathe mainly through gills that look like feathery branches on the sides of their heads. These gills help them take in oxygen from the water.
Inside Their Gills
The gills have lots of tiny parts called filaments. Water flows over these filaments, and your body uses tiny blood vessels to grab the oxygen from the water. It’s a bit like you using a straw to sip air from a smoothie—the axolotl has a big surface area in its gills to catch the oxygen.
Why Gills, Not Lungs?
Axolotls spend most of their life in water, so they don’t need lungs like many land animals. Their gills are outside their heads, so water can keep flowing over them and keep supplying oxygen.
Other Ways They Can Breathe
- Skin: Very thin skin can absorb a little oxygen from the water.
- Lungs: Some axolotls can gulp air from the surface and use their lungs, especially if the water doesn’t have much oxygen.
Fun Facts
- Axolotls are often called "walking fish" by kids, but they are salamanders, not fish.
- The feathery gills stay on their heads even as they grow, giving them their unique look.
So, their feathery gills on the head are the main way they breathe underwater, with a little help from their skin and sometimes their lungs when they surface.