How do you look inside the body of an axolotl to see the spine?

Question: How do you look inside the body of an axolotl to see the spine?
- Keywords:
  axolotl,
  body,
  dissection,
  spine
Asked by attwoodk23 to Aida on 22 Feb 2023.
- Aida Rodrigo answered on 22 Feb 2023:
  
  Great question! Even though wild type axolotls (most axolotls found in the wild) have dark-coloured skin, in the lab we normally work with mutant axolotls that are almost transparent because the pigment cells of their skin do not develop properly. In these mutant axolotls, we can see the spinal cord in their tails with bare eyes! This allows us to see it growing as they regenerate their tail. We also use microscopes and fluorescent dyes to look even closer at the cells that make up the spinal cord, live!

Question: How do you look inside the body of an axolotl to see the spine?