Precisely how do developing frogs switch from gills to lungs?

Question

I have a few tadpoles at home and am amazed to see that the most developed of them (4 legs but still with tail) can stay underwater for pretty long but also sometimes sit on the rock in their tank (i.e. above the surface). Do they have both gills and lungs for a short time or do they breathe through their skin during the transition? Or is it something else? Please don't give we answers from Wikipedia, I've looked there already.

Answer 1

Gill use declines a while before they are ready to leave the water. The skin does most of the gas exchange in the late days of the tadpole stage. Once the lungs mature then they take over absorbing oxygen but the skin still functions in getting rid of the majority of carbon dioxide throughout the life of the adult frog.

So it goes gills-->gills/little bit of skin-->skin/little bit of gills-->skin/even less gills/a little bit of lungs-->lungs/skin.

Answer 2

At one stage in development from tadpole to adult, they are known as "Labyrinth Breathers". Like Betas (Siamese Fighting fish). This stage does not last very long, but long enough to get used to holding their breath for long periods. So your answer is, yes.... They do have gills and lungs at the same time. But not for long.

Answer 3

They are amphibians. also the Development is call Metamorphosis.Its just one of the Fantastic wonders of Nature.

Answer 4

Ontogenic processes.