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anatomy guide

Axolotl respiratory system — external gills, lungs, and skin

Overview of axolotl respiration — three pairs of feathery external gills retained into adulthood, simple lungs filled by buccal pumping, and gas exchange across moist skin.
General educational reference only — not clinical or veterinary advice. Anatomy varies between individual animals; consult a licensed veterinarian for any health concern.

External gills

The axolotl is neotenic: it keeps larval features into adulthood, most visibly three pairs of feathery external gills projecting from behind the head. Each gill is a branchial arch carrying rows of fine filaments packed with capillaries, giving a large surface in direct contact with the water. Open gill slits lie behind them, and the animal periodically sweeps the gills to renew the water around the filaments.

Lungs and buccal pumping

Axolotls also have simple, sac-like lungs and will rise to the surface to gulp air. Amphibians have no diaphragm and no rib-driven chest pump; instead the floor of the mouth is raised and lowered to force air into the lungs, a positive-pressure method called buccal pumping. Air breathing supplements the gills rather than replacing them.

Skin as a respiratory organ

The skin is thin, moist, and richly supplied with capillaries, and a substantial share of gas exchange takes place across it. Cutaneous respiration works only while the skin stays wet, which ties the axolotl to an aquatic life. Gills, lungs, and skin together give three parallel routes for oxygen uptake.

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