SafekipediaPerennibranchiate is a word used in zoology to describe animals that keep their gills their whole lives. Most animals with gills lose them when they grow up, but perennibranchiate animals do not.
One well-known example is the mudpuppy, which keeps its gills even when it is an adult. In some groups of amphibians, only a few keep their gills as adults, but in others, most do. For example, in some Rough-skinned Newt populations in the Cascade Mountains, many adult newts keep their gills.
The term perennibranchiate helps scientists learn how different species adapt and survive.
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Perennibranchiate, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.