answersLogoWhite

0

Some animals have to use their entire outer skin layer as a gas exchange organ such as an earth worm. Oxygen diffuses into a dense net of capillaries lying beneath the skin. Earthworms and other "skin breathers" must live in damp places or in water because their whole body surface has to stay moist. Animals that breathe only through their skin and lack specialized gas exchange organs are generally small, and many times are long and thin or flattened. Small size or flatness provides a high ratio of respiratory surface to body volume, allowing for sufficient gas exchange for the entire body.

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago

What else can I help you with?