The axolotl has four methods of breathing. The most well known method is through the external feathery gills near its head. The feathers on these gills also increase the surface area, allowing more gas to be diffused into its blood. Like most salamanders, the axolotl is also capable of breathing through its skin. This is known as cutaneous respiration. The thin and moist skin of the axolotl allows gas to diffuse into any blood vessels near the skin and be moved to the cells through those blood vessels. In the blood closest to the skin, there is low concentration of oxygen but a high concentration of carbon dioxide. The slimy coating on the axolotl assists in the exchanging of these gases. Unlike salamanders, this does not give the axolotl the ability to breathe on land.