What type of respiration is gas exchange through the skin called?

The story behind the answer

What type of respiration is gas exchange through the skin called? It is cutaneous respiration.

The term describes gas exchange across an organism’s skin or outer integument rather than through lungs or gills. Oxygen diffuses inward and carbon dioxide diffuses outward across the moist skin surface. In amphibians, the skin is thin, richly supplied with blood vessels, and important for breathing.

Cutaneous respiration may be the only respiratory method or may supplement lungs. Lungless salamanders in the family Plethodontidae rely on it entirely, while frogs and toads often use it alongside pulmonary respiration. Cold temperatures can make skin breathing especially important because amphibian metabolism slows.

A common mix-up is calling this “skin breathing” only in frogs. The process also occurs in fish, some reptiles, sea snakes, turtles, and even mammals to a limited degree. In amphibians, however, it is particularly significant because their permeable skin must remain moist, linking respiration closely to habitat and water balance.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

Add question to a list

Choose a list to keep this question in: