An axolotl (ax-a-lot-l) is a creature with big frilly gills like a lion’s mane, tiny eyes with no eyelids and a mouth in the shape of a smile. They come in lots of colors: pink, black, golden or gray.

The axolotl may be almost extinct in its home country of Mexico but it is certainly thriving in German research laboratories, where scientists are examining its fascinating ability to regenerate its ...