The Salamanders That Breathe Without Lungs

These tropical salamanders have no lungs at all. Instead, they absorb oxygen directly through their skin and the linings of their mouths to survive in the humid wild.

It seems impossible for a vertebrate to function without lungs, yet these creatures thrive across the Americas. By living in damp environments, they keep their skin moist enough for gas exchange to occur constantly. This unique trait is surprisingly common, as this genus makes up nearly one-fifth of all known salamander species. They also possess incredible projectile tongues that snap out to catch prey with lightning speed.