The world is chock full of all sorts of natural wonders. There are simply too many to count and we never tire of the surprises that nature has offered us. Including all the wonders, it’s also worth wondering if we could regenerate a missing limb or damaged organ. These abilities might sound like a futuristic science fiction movie, but it exists in the animal kingdom. While most animals do not have these abilities, there are a few that do. However, those few creatures may provide us with insight into how regeneration occurs in their species.
Axolotl
Axolotls are an aquatic species of salamander with the extraordinary regenerative ability and are able to regenerate organs, skin, limbs, or practically any other body part because Axolotls never develop lungs, instead keep their gills, and axolotls are permanent underwater residents. Even more amazing, axolotls can regenerate limbs and organs perfectly without any scarring. They can do this as many times as necessary in as little as three weeks.
Chameleons
Chameleons are very interesting animals that are well known for their unique ability to blend in with the surrounding environment by changing their colour. Not only that, Chameleons are also able to regenerate their tails and limbs. They can also heal damaged nerves and skin during the regenerative process.
Starfish
Starfish can regrow arms that detach from their central disc, and some species have even been observed to complete the process in reverse: regrowing of an entire body from a lost arm. Starfish are among the most famous and dramatic examples, being able to grow an entirely new body from just a single arm. Starfish also have the ability to regenerate neurons, something not seen in many animals.
Sharks
Sharks can’t regenerate organs or other body parts but they can definitely regenerate their dental structures. They lose at least 30.000 teeth over a lifetime, but each lost tooth can be regrown over a period of days or months. A shark is capable to replace lost teeth as many as 50 times over the course of his lifetime.
Deer
Deer antlers are the only mammalian appendages capable of repeated rounds of regeneration; every year they are shed and regrow from a blastema into large branched structures of cartilage and bone that are used for fighting and display.
