Skin That Breathes, Drinks, and Absorbs Everything
A frog does not drink water through its mouth. It absorbs it through a patch of highly vascularised skin on its belly and inner thighs called the drinking patch, pulling moisture and dissolved gases directly into the bloodstream. The same surface handles a significant share of gas exchange: in fully aquatic species, cutaneous respiration accounts for nearly all oxygen uptake; in terrestrial frogs, it supplements lung breathing throughout the day and takes over almost entirely during winter dormancy.
