Content
- breathing in the animal kingdom
- Types of Animal Breathing
- Lung breathing in animals
- Lung breathing in reptiles
- Pulmonary respiration in birds
- gill breathing in animals
- tracheal breathing in animals
- Examples of Tracheal Breathing in Animals
- Skin breathing in animals
Breathing is a vital function for all living things, as even plants breathe. In the animal kingdom, the difference in the types of breathing lies in the anatomical adaptations of each group of animals and the type of environment in which they inhabit. The respiratory system is made up of a set of organs that act in unison to carry out gas exchange. During this process, there is basically a gas exchange between the body and the environment, in which the animal obtains oxygen (O2), a gas essential for its vital functions, and releases carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a vital step, since its accumulation in the body is deadly.
If you are interested in learning about the different types of animal breathing, keep reading this PeritoAnimal article, where we'll talk about the different ways animals breathe and their main differences and complexities.
breathing in the animal kingdom
All animals share the vital function of breathing, but how they do it is a different story in each animal group. The type of breath used varies according to the group of animals and their anatomical features and adaptations.
During this process, animals, as well as other living beings, exchange gases with the environment and they can get oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide. Thanks to this metabolic process, animals can get energy to perform all other vital functions, and this is essential for aerobic organisms, that is, those that live in the presence of oxygen (O2).
Types of Animal Breathing
There are several types of animal breathing, which can be classified into:
- pulmonary breathing: the one performed through the lungs. These can vary anatomically between animal species. Likewise, some animals have only one lung, while others have two.
- gill breathing: is the type of breath that most fish and marine animals have. In this type of breathing, gas exchange takes place through the gills.
- Breathing tracheal: this is the most common type of breathing in invertebrates, especially insects. Here, the circulatory system does not interfere with gas exchange.
- skin breathing: Skin breathing occurs mainly in amphibians and other animals that live in moist areas and have thin skin. In cutaneous breathing, as the name implies, gas exchange takes place through the skin.
Lung breathing in animals
This type of breathing, in which gas exchange occurs through the lungs, extends between terrestrial vertebrates (such as mammals, birds and reptiles), aquatic vertebrates (such as cetaceans) and amphibians, which are also able to breathe through their skin. Depending on the vertebrate group, the respiratory system has different anatomical adaptations and the structure of the lungs changes.
Amphibian lung breathing
In amphibians, the lungs can be simple vascularized bags, such as salamanders and frogs, which are lungs divided into chambers with folds that increase the contact surface for gas exchange: the alveoli.
Lung breathing in reptiles
On the other hand, reptiles have more specialized lungs than amphibians. They are divided into several spongy air sacs that are interconnected. The total area of gas exchange increases much more compared to amphibians. Some species of lizards, for example, have two lungs, whereas snakes have only one.
Pulmonary respiration in birds
In birds, on the other hand, we observe one of the more complex respiratory systems due to the function of flight and the high oxygen demand that this implies. Their lungs are ventilated by air sacs, structures present only in birds. The bags do not interfere with the exchange of gases, but they have the ability to store air and then expel it, that is, they act as bellows, allowing the lungs to always have fresh air reserves flowing within you.
Lung breathing in mammals
Mammals have two lungs of elastic tissue divided into lobes, and its structure is tree-like, as they branch into bronchi and bronchioles until reaching the alveoli, where gas exchange occurs. The lungs are housed in the chest cavity and are limited by the diaphragm, a muscle that helps them and, with its distension and contraction, facilitates the entry and exit of gases.
gill breathing in animals
The gills are the organs responsible for breath into the water, are external structures and are located behind or on the side of the head, depending on the species. They can appear in two ways: as grouped structures in gill slits or as branched appendages, as in newt and salamander larvae, or in invertebrates as larvae of some insects, annelids and molluscs.
When water enters the mouth and exits through the slits, oxygen is "trapped" and transferred to the blood and other tissues. Gas exchanges occur thanks to the water flux or with the help of opercles, which carry water to the gills.
Animals that breathe through gills
Some examples of animals that breathe through gills are:
- Manta (Mobula birostris).
- Whale shark (rhincodon typus).
- Pouch Lamprey (Geotria Australis).
- Giant Oyster (tridacna gigas).
- Great Blue Octopus (octopus cyanea).
For more information, you can consult this other PeritoAnimal article on how fish breathe?
tracheal breathing in animals
Tracheal breathing in animals is the most common in invertebrates, mainly insects, arachnids, myriapods (centipedes and millipedes), etc. The tracheal system is made up of a branch of tubes and ducts that run through the body and connect directly with the rest of the organs and tissues, so that, in this case, the circulatory system does not interfere in the transport of gases. In other words, oxygen is mobilized without reaching the hemolymph (a fluid from the circulatory system of invertebrates, such as insects, which performs a function analogous to blood in humans and other vertebrates) and enters directly into cells. In turn, these ducts are directly connected to the outside through openings called stigmas or spiracles, through which it is possible to eliminate the CO2.
Examples of Tracheal Breathing in Animals
Some of the animals that have tracheal breathing are as follows:
- Water beetle (gyrinus natator).
- Locust (Caelifera).
- Ant (Anticide).
- Bee (Apis mellifera).
- Asian Wasp (velutine wasp).
Skin breathing in animals
In this case, breathing takes place through the skin and not through another organ such as the lungs or gills. It occurs mainly in some species of insects, amphibians and other vertebrates associated with humid environments or with very thin skins; mammals such as bats, for example, which have very thin skin on their wings and through which part of the gas exchange can be carried out. This is very important, because through a very thin and irrigated skin, gas exchange is facilitated and, in this way, oxygen and carbon dioxide can pass freely through it.
Some animals, such as certain species of amphibians or soft-shelled turtles, have mucous glands that help them keep the skin moist. In addition, for example, other amphibians have skin folds and thus increase the exchange surface and, although they can combine forms of breathing, such as lung and skin, 90% of amphibians perform gas exchange through the skin.
Examples of animals that breathe through their skin
Some of the animals that breathe through their skin are:
- Earthworm (lumbricus terrestris).
- Medicine leech (Hirudo medicinalis).
- Iberian newt (lyssotriton boscai).
- Black nail frog (Cultripes).
- Green frog (Pelophylax perezi).
- Sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus).
If you want to read more articles similar to Types of Animal Breathing, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.