World's first lungless frog is discovered

SINGAPORE, April 9 (UPI) -- Scientists from the National University of Singapore say they've discovered a lungless frog in Borneo that apparently takes in oxygen through its skin.

Researchers led by David Bickford confirmed the first case of complete lunglessness in a frog (Barbourula kalimantanensis), as well as two new populations of the aquatic animal.

"We knew that we would have to be very lucky just to find the frog," said Bickford. "People have been trying for 30 years. But when we did and I was doing the initial dissections -- right there in the field -- I have to say that I was very skeptical at first (that the frog would, in fact, lack lungs). It just did not seem possible.

"We were all shocked when it turned out to be true for all the specimens we had from Kalimantan, Indonesia,

"The thing that struck me most then and now is that there are still major firsts to be found out in the field," he added. "All you have to do is go a little ways beyond what people have done before, and -- voila!"

The discovery of the Bornean frog is reported in the journal Current Biology.