Items13The creator’s order
  1. 1AxolotlAxolotlAn axolotl can rebuild a lost limb as an adult. The replacement includes multiple kinds of tissue, such as skin and muscles, as well as a new skeleton and digits. That makes the axolotl a good starting point for understanding what it means to replace a whole structure.0
  2. 2Anolis carolinensisAnolis carolinensisA green anole can grow a new tail after shedding the old one. The replacement has a tube of cartilage where the old tail had separate vertebrae. The pattern of muscles changes too, giving you an example of regrowth that restores a body part with a different internal design.0
  3. 3Linckia multiforaLinckia multiforaAn arm shed by this spotted sea star can grow into a separate animal. In between, it looks something like a comet. The original arm is the long tail, with a tiny central disk and much shorter new arms growing at one end. This ability is documented for particular sea stars, including this…0
  4. 4Cairo spiny mouseCairo spiny mouseA Cairo spiny mouse can restore the missing tissue around a wound in its outer ear. Researchers found that the regrown area included cartilage, skin, and hair follicles. That’s an unusual degree of repair in a mammal, where a closed wound can still leave a scar instead of replacing the original…0
  5. 5ZebrafishZebrafishThe zebrafish can replace lost heart muscle after a partial injury. In one study, it restored the missing part of a ventricle, one of the heart’s chambers. Existing heart muscle cells supplied new ones, a different feat from the external repairs seen in axolotls and lizards.0
  6. 6Schmidtea mediterraneaSchmidtea mediterraneaA surviving piece of this flatworm can regrow a head or a tail, depending on what is missing. A fragment from the middle can grow both ends. The worm has stem cells that supply many of the different cell types needed to rebuild those parts.0
  7. 7Hydra vulgarisHydra vulgarisThis freshwater animal has a mouth surrounded by tentacles at one end and a foot that anchors it at the other. When the head is lost, Hydra can rebuild the tentacled end from its surviving body column. The new head brings back the mouth as well as the ring of tentacles.0
  8. 8Holothuria glaberrimaHolothuria glaberrimaThis sea cucumber can rebuild its intestine after expelling internal organs. The replacement includes the intestine’s own network of nerves. That means more has to grow back than the walls of the digestive tube.0
  9. 9American lobsterAmerican lobsterAn American lobster can replace a lost claw or walking leg. It can even release a limb to escape a threat. Regrowth extends past those big, easy-to-spot claws. A lobster can also replace an antenna.0
  10. 10Eastern newtEastern newtAn adult eastern newt can replace a lost lens inside its eye. The new lens grows from tissue in the iris. Researchers comparing the lenses found that many of the new lens’s proteins had the same properties as their counterparts in the original.0