Table of Contents (click to expand)
We all love babies—and baby animals! They look so adorable that we sometimes wish they would just stay like that! Do you think it’s possible for an animal to retain its baby form? The axolotl does exactly this. It remains in its larval phase, even as an adult.
Remember Peter Pan in Neverland, the boy who never never grew up and remained a child forever? Wouldn’t we all love to be him, forever stuck in the blossoming potential of youth!
Unfortunately, Peter Pan is merely a story and humans cannot remain frozen as children.
But one animal can and does “Peter Pan” its way through its lifespan. Meet the Axolotl, who maintains its teenage youthfulness even into adulthood.
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The Axolotl Larva
Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) are aquatic in nature and are members of the salamander group. In the wild, they’re found only in the water bodies of Mexico.
They have been named after the Aztec God Xolotl, the god of fire and lightning, who converted himself into an Axolotl for protection when he was being chased by other Gods (he was killed, nonetheless).
Is Neoteny Found Only In Axolotls?
Neoteny is not just restricted to axolotls. I’m not talking about other relatives of axolotls, I’m talking about humans!
Humans also have the ability to retain some of their juvenile characteristics in their adult state. We do not physiologically remain in our young stage, but we may possess certain facial or bodily features resembling that of a baby. Wide eyes, chubby cheeks, and less body hair are some examples. These features of neoteny are actually said to make the possessors of such traits more attractive to members of the opposite sex!
Neoteny represents youth, thereby suggesting that the person is young and fit enough to procreate. Interesting, huh?! You can read more about neoteny in humans and other animals here.
References (click to expand)
- Voss, S. R., & Shaffer, H. B. (1997, December 9). Adaptive evolution via a major gene effect: Paedomorphosis in the Mexican axolotl. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
- Skulachev, V. P., Holtze, S., Vyssokikh, M. Y., Bakeeva, L. E., Skulachev, M. V., Markov, A. V., … Sadovnichii, V. A. (2017, April). Neoteny, Prolongation of Youth: From Naked Mole Rats to “Naked Apes” (Humans). Physiological Reviews. American Physiological Society.
- De Groef, B., Grommen, S. V. H., & Darras, V. M. (2018, September). Forever young: Endocrinology of paedomorphosis in the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). General and Comparative Endocrinology. Elsevier BV.
- Voss, S. R., Woodcock, M. R., & Zambrano, L. (2015, November 1). A Tale of Two Axolotls. BioScience. Oxford University Press (OUP).
- Zambrano, L., Valiente, E., & Vander Zanden, M. J. (2010, February 7). Food web overlap among native axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) and two exotic fishes: carp (Cyprinus carpio) and tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Xochimilco, Mexico City. Biological Invasions. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
- Safi, R., Bertrand, S., Marchand, O., Duffraisse, M., de Luze, A., Vanacker, J.-M., … Laudet, V. (2004, February). The Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), a Neotenic Amphibian, Expresses Functional Thyroid Hormone Receptors. Endocrinology. The Endocrine Society.
- Laursen, L. (2009, July 1). Salamander cells remember their origins in limb regeneration. Nature. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
- Using How to Train Your Dragon to teach about endangered species, the scientific method, and popularization of science. (2021, February 23). Journal of Geek Studies.
