Science. 1973 Dec 21;182(4118):1263-5. doi: 10.1126/science.182.4118.1263.
Separate and simultaneous determinations of aerial and aquatic gas exchange in the giant salamander, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis (Daudin) were made at 5 degrees , 15 degrees , and 25 degrees C. The aquatic respiration of this animal accounts for over 90 percent of the total volume of oxygen consumed and 97 percent of the total volume of carbon dioxide released at all temperatures. The lungs of these individuals are large transparent sacs which are poor respiratory organs; the lungs probably function more as hydrostatic structures than as gas exchangers. This animal is the largest aquatic vertebrate that lacks gills and yet utilizes almost exclusively an aquatic mode of respiration. Specialized cutaneous modifications, a unique body form, and a peculiar behavioral mechanism are of considerable adaptative significance, and confer to the skin the effectiveness of a veritable "gill."
我们分别在 5°C、15°C 和 25°C 条件下，对大鲵（Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis (Daudin)）的空气和水中气体交换进行了同步、独立的测定。在所有温度下，这种动物的水中呼吸占总耗氧量的 90%以上，占总二氧化碳释放量的 97%。这些个体的肺是大的透明囊，是很差的呼吸器官；肺的功能可能更像是静水结构，而不是气体交换器。这种动物是最大的没有鳃的水生脊椎动物，但几乎完全依赖于水生呼吸方式。特殊的皮肤结构、独特的体型和特殊的行为机制具有相当大的适应意义，使皮肤具有真正“鳃”的效果。
