# Can frogs/amphibian breath underwater **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 1, 2010, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-frogs-amphibian-breath-underwater/527225 "2010-02-01T09:38:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zerc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/82dd89/32.png) [@Zerc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zerc)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-frogs-amphibian-breath-underwater/527225/1 "2010-02-01T09:38:44Z")
I was always under the impression that amphibians could breath both in water and in air. It appears that I may have been incorrect for all of my life. I looked up amphibian on Wikipedia and it says that “Amphibian is derived from the Ancient Greek term amphíbios which means both kinds of life, amphi meaning “both” and bio meaning life. The term was initially used for all kinds of combined natures. Eventually it was used to refer to animals that live both in the water and on land.” It also states that as part of the amphibian metamorphosis “The gills are replaced by other respiratory organs, i.e., lungs.” Nothing actually mentions that adult amphibians can breath under water although it appears that their gills are replaced by lungs. I suppose this means that adult amphibians can only breath in air and juvenile amphibians can only breath under water. Is this correct? ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-frogs-amphibian-breath-underwater/527225/2 "2010-02-01T09:57:27Z")
> [@Zerc](#): > > I was always under the impression that amphibians could breath both in water and in air. It appears that I may have been incorrect for all of my life. > > I looked up amphibian on Wikipedia and it says that “Amphibian is derived from the Ancient Greek term amphíbios which means both kinds of life, amphi meaning “both” and bio meaning life. The term was initially used for all kinds of combined natures. Eventually it was used to refer to animals that live both in the water and on land.” It also states that as part of the amphibian metamorphosis “The gills are replaced by other respiratory organs, i.e., lungs.” > > Nothing actually mentions that adult amphibians can breath under water although it appears that their gills are replaced by lungs. I suppose this means that adult amphibians can only breath in air and juvenile amphibians can only breath under water. Is this correct? Not completely. Amphibians can also “breathe” through their skin. > [@](#): > > Both the lungs and the skin serve as respiratory organs in amphibians. The skin of these animals is highly vascularized and moist, with moisture maintained via secretion of mucus from specialized cells. While the lungs are of primary importance to breathing control, the skin’s unique properties aid rapid gas exchange when amphibians are submerged in oxygen-rich water. > **[Respiratory system | Amphibians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respiratory_system#Amphibians)** > > Both the lungs and the skin serve as respiratory organs in amphibians. The ventilation of the lungs in amphibians relies on positive pressure ventilation. Muscles lower the floor of the oral cavity, enlarging it and drawing in air through the nostrils into the oral cavity. With the nostrils and mouth closed, the floor of the oral cavity is then pushed up, which forces air down the trachea into the lungs. The skin of these animals is highly vascularized and moist, with moisture maintained via secr... ---
**Author:** ![Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-frogs-amphibian-breath-underwater/527225/3 "2010-02-01T09:57:43Z")
Yes, generally amphibians will give birth in the water and a metamorphosis will occur amongst their young. They lose the gills and gain lungs. But I frogs and toads can breathe through their skin, which allows them to breathe underwater and also buried in soil. Though they cannot do this indefinitely, I’m not sure exactly how long they can do this for. Edit: beaten to it, disregard. ---
**Author:** ![Zerc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/82dd89/32.png) [@Zerc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zerc)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-frogs-amphibian-breath-underwater/527225/4 "2010-02-01T10:13:32Z")
OK, so I was half-right and half-wrong. Sometimes I wonder why can’t things just be simple? 😃 Thanks for the replies ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-frogs-amphibian-breath-underwater/527225/5 "2010-02-01T13:38:26Z")
> [@Zerc](#): > > OK, so I was half-right and half-wrong. Sometimes I wonder why can’t things just be simple? 😃 > > Thanks for the replies We could be talking about a platypus… and then there’s no half-anything. That thing is a weird mess of nature… ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-frogs-amphibian-breath-underwater/527225/6 "2010-02-01T15:37:44Z")
There are also some types of salamander that retain their gills into adulthood, like [axolotls](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axolotl), [sirens](http://www.naturealmanac.com/archive/siren/siren.html) and [mudpuppies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudpuppy). ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-frogs-amphibian-breath-underwater/527225/7 "2010-02-01T17:33:10Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > There are also some types of salamander that retain their gills into adulthood, like [axolotls](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axolotl), [sirens](http://www.naturealmanac.com/archive/siren/siren.html) and [mudpuppies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudpuppy). Likewise, there are also terrestrial salamanders that largely [lack lungs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lungless_salamander). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-frogs-amphibian-breath-underwater/527225/8 "2010-02-01T17:42:42Z")
> [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](#): > > Though they cannot do this indefinitely, I’m not sure exactly how long they can do this for. Frogs in the temperate zone often hibernate in the mud at the bottom of ponds. While their metabolism is very slow at this time, they can survive without access to air for many months. If the water is well-aerated (as in mountain streams) or if the frog is inactive it can probably survive underwater nearly indefinitely.