Almost all aquatic animals have gills to obtain oxygen underwater, these can be in various parts of their body and external or internal, then we will show you which are the animals that breathe through gills, We invite you to continue reading to discover what they are.
gill respiration in animals
In humanity we carry out a gaseous exchange to breathe, thanks to the lungs and the nostrils of our body. However, in the case of animals such as fish or other aquatic animals, which breathe underwater thanks to the limited oxygen present in the aquatic environment. These organs are called gills or gills.
His breathing through the gills brings him out those animals that live in the ocean. The gills are respiratory organs that usually originate from one of the embryonic layers.
The gills usually appear in the natural clefts of the body and are presented as a series of intertwined filaments with a high blood supply, through which the oxygen-rich water passes, which enters through the mouth, producing the exchange gaseous.
What is gill or gill respiration?
Gill respiration is the exchange of gases, that is, respiration in H2O. They are organisms that are located in the back of the head in aquatic animals. Its appearance is that of small sheets prepared to be on top of each other and with many blood vessels in its structure.
The operation of gill respiration begins when the mollusk or amphibian absorbs oxygen from the water. Oxygen is transported to the different tissues and gills and organs that are required for metabolism and cell respiration in the cell's mitochondria.
Once this oxygen and cellular respiration are used, dioxide is produced by the body into the environment. Carbon dioxide follows the opposite path, that is, it also passes into the internal fluids and goes to the gills or lungs where it diffuses and is expelled by them.
Types of gills: external and internal
In the sea there are animals with different respiratory systems, these are the external and internal ones, these will depend on the size and characteristics of the animal, whether it has lungs or not. Some animals only take advantage of the oxygen that the sea normally has, such as sponges or extra cucumbers.
External gills
According to scientists, the gills are expressed by small plates in the upper part of their body. This type of gills also have certain disadvantages such as being easier to injure, more dazzling to predators and making movement in the sea much more difficult.
The external gills are larger in marine invertebrates such as molluscs, annelids, aquatic larvae, etc. And among some aquatic or semi-aquatic vertebrates (amphibians) such as newts and aquatic salamanders.
Internal gills
These are found in fish that have lungs and that need to have them inside them to be able to breathe without any problem, specifically they are located under the pharynx of the fish, there they give a better use to its respiratory system.
This type of gills come out mostly in marine vertebrates, such as fish.
animals that breathe through gills
To clarify a little more which are the animals that breathe through gills, we will show them to you in a list, they are the following:
Rana
The frog is an amphibian that in its larval state needs gills to be able to breathe.
Octopus
The octopus is an animal that is characterized by being of the cephalopod type and breathes through gills, in the same way they have three cardiac ventricles that need oxygen from the sea to be able to function and carry blood to each part of their body and this makes can also drain your ink.
Clam
It has two pairs of gills, which are formed by ciliated plates. Additionally, they aided in osmotic regulation, digestion, and excretion.
Shark
In all species from the white shark to the whale shark, it has gills made of tissues from its cartilaginous body that open and close to allow the passage of water and gas exchange.
Stingray
Sharks have a cartilaginous gill structure, which is located in the lower part of the body, near the base of their dorsal fins.
Sea hare
It is an elongated mollusk measuring up to twenty centimeters. Its gills are located only on the right side of the head.
lungfish
As well as the Australian and the African, they have a double respiratory system which allows them to live for seasons out of the water, in the same way there are some animals that breathe with tracheas of this type.
axolotl
The axolotl is an endangered animal that needs three gills to breathe, it is native to Mexico, the gills of this animal are on the top of the head. These gills that are on its head in the form of an antenna only accept pure water to keep the Axolotl alive.
giant blanket
The giant manta is the type of chondrichthyan fish, that is, a fish with a cartilaginous skeleton, it lives in warm waters and in shallow waters of the sea, although it is a bit difficult to calculate the depth, it is known that it is an animal that lives in the reefs.
bag lamprey
This fish breathes through gills, but it is considered in the same way a sea parasite because, it feeds on fish waste, when breathing the water enters through the orifice of the gills and leaves through the same orifice, unlike the others. species.
This fish can only be appreciated in the waters of Africa and can survive in salt and fresh water, which is why it is considered an anadromous fish.
Giant target
This giant mollusk lives in the Pacific Ocean and breathes through gills in the form of a siphon, on the one hand, they suck in and on the other they expel.
Other species of animals that breathe through gills
- Blue shark, whale shark, hammerhead shark, ray shark, Eel shark
- Dorado, Tilia, Betta fish, Guppy
- Lionfish, saw, wrasse, moon
- Eels, Sturgeon, Tuna, cod, sardine
- Bighead, Discus, Scalar, Angelfish
- Catfish, Carp, Mudfish, Prawns, Shrimp, Crabs
- Swordfish, puffer, rainbow, stonefish, piranha
- Lobsters, sea snails, sea urchins, seahorses, sea slugs
- Common Sea Cucumbers, Japanese Sea Cucumbers
- tadpoles
