Animals That Breathe Through Skin

Frogs and Toads When it comes to skin breathing, frogs and toads are some of the most notable animals to utilize this form of respiration. This is because frogs and toads are a great way to see the extent of skin breathing. 

Lungless Salamander As mentioned previously, skin breathing isn’t meant to sustain larger animals. This means that if you find an organism that relies heavily on skin breathing, it’s probably a primitive species or invertebrate, such as a sponge or coral. However, the same cannot be said for the lungless salamander.

Newts Newts are a type of salamander. The name “newt” specifically refers to any of the salamanders in the subfamily of Pleurodelinae. Like many other animals that breathe through the skin, newts are semiaquatic. This means they live in water or land, much like frogs. 

Earthworms Although they may not be one of the first animals you think of, earthworms are great examples of animals that breathe through the skin! It can be difficult to breathe when you’re underground, and so skin breathing allows earthworms to tunnel under the earth without the fear of suffocation.

Caecilians Caecilians are rare and interesting animals that not a lot of people have heard of. They can easily be mistaken for snakes, thanks to their appearance. Like many other animals that breathe through their skin, caecilians are actually amphibians. 

Axolotls Axolotls are one of the most popular amphibians to keep as a pet. However, they’re also one type of rare animal that breathe through their skin. These little amphibians are actually a type of salamander. They’re closely related to the tiger salamander.

Sea Urchin Although they may not look like it, sea urchins are interesting animals. They’re known as echinoderms, which is the same as starfish. There are several different types of sea urchins, including the “sand dollars” that you may occasionally find on the beach!

Starfish Starfish don’t have lungs or true gills. They’re able to use small features on their body, known as skin gills or papulae, and their tube feet in order to draw oxygen through their skin and expel carbon dioxide. 

Leeches You may know leeches as parasitic worms that will latch onto humans and animals alike if you enter a lake with them. However, did you know that they are also one example of rare animals that breathe only through their skin? Like many other types of skin-breathing animals on this list, the leech lacks both gills and lungs, making skin breathing their number one form of respiration.