Lung-breathing animals

When it comes to breathing, animals can develop different strategies. The simpler animals breathe through the skin, while other animals, larger and sophisticated have to develop specific organs to exchange efficiently certain gases.

An example of these organs is the lungs. Land animals, including man, are generally lung-breathing animals. In this lesson from a TEACHER we will review the lung-breathing animals.

Index

1. Lung respiration in mammals
2. Lung respiration in birds
3. Lung respiration in reptiles
4. Lung respiration in amphibians
5. Lung respiration of some invertebrates

Despite living in different environments and being adapted to different ecosystems, all mammalsthey are lung-breathing animals. From humans to the shrew, passing through the large marine mammals.

Then we propose some examples of marine lung mammals:

• Killer whales (Orcinus orca)
• Humpback whale or yubarta (Megaptera novaeangliae)
• Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus)
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• Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)
• Narwhal (Monodon monoceros)
• Common sperm whale (Physiter macrocephalus)
• Dolphins (Delphinidae spp)

And 10 examples of land mammalswith lung respiration:

• Human being (Homo sapiens)
• Dog (Canis lupus familiaris)
• Howler monkeyAlouatta palliata)
• Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)
• Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)
• Mouse (Mus musculus)
• Jaguar (Panthera onca)
• Lion (Panthera leo)
• Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)
• Call (Lama glama)

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Birds have very well adapted lungs to the gas exchange and they are especially well designed to weigh little. This allows their lungs to be light and many of them to be long distance runners or fliers.

The lungs of birds have a complementary structure to the lungs called air sacks. Air sacs are structures where birds store air, but where gas exchange does not occur. This exchange only occurs in the lungs. Air bags improve airflow during breathing and make your body more aerodynamic and flight-friendly.

Some examples of lung birds They are the following, but surely you can think of some more !:

• Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca)
• Canary (Serinus canaria domestica)
• White stork (Ciconia ciconia)
• Condor (Vultur gryphus)
• Common cuckooCuculus canorus)
• Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)
• Colorín (Erythrina coralloides)
• Pigeons or columbids (Columbidae spp)
• Common quail (Coturnix coturnix)
• Blue-yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna)

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We continue to get to know the animals with lung respiration to talk now about the reptiles. They have more developed lungs than amphibians, as they cannot combine lung respiration with skin respiration. Most reptiles, such as crocodiles or sea turtles, have not dissociated themselves much from the aquatic environment, so they have very lungs and aerial structures. adapted for diving.

Here we propose a list of lung reptiles:

• Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis)
• Boa (Boa constrictor)
• Lizards (Lacertidae spp)
• Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus)
• American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)
• Alligators (Alligatoridae spp)
• Nile crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
• Mexican crocodile (C. moreletii)
• Orinoco Crocodile (C. intermedius)
• Dwarf crocodileOsteolaemus tetraspis)
• Chameleons (Chamaeleonidae spp)
• Coral snake (Elapidae spp)
• Marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)
• Green turtles (Chelonia mydas)
• Leatherback turtleDermochelys coriacea)
• Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
• Loggerhead turtlesCaretta caretta)
• Galapagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra)
• Horseshoe snake (Hemorrhois hippocrepis)

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The amphibiansThey are the first animals that were able to adapt to living in the terrestrial environment, but most of them only live on land during their adult stage. That is why most amphibians are able to combine the lung respiration with the breath cutaneous (through the skin) and the gill respiration (through the gills).

Specifically, amphibians are capable of changing the type of respiration according to their life stage: pulmonary respiration takes place during the period adult of organisms. When they hatch from the egg, the larvae present cutaneous respiration, later develop gills and, while living in an aquatic or semi-aquatic environment, they combine cutaneous and gill respiration. When fully mature, they develop full lungs, and most of them, combine it with skin respiration. That is why the body of amphibians is covered with a thin, highly permeable skin, which has to be covered with Booger so as not to dehydrate in contact with air.

Some lung-breathing amphibians They are toads, salamanders and frogs, but there are also other lesser known animals:

• Axolotl (Ambistoma mexicanum)
• Cecilias (Gymnophiona spp)
• Gallipato (Pleurodeles waltl)
• Common toad (Bufo bufo)
• Giant marine toad (Rhinella marina)
• Triton (Charonia tritonis)
• Common salamander (Salamander salamander)
• San Antonio frog (Hyla arborea)
• Poison arrow frogPhyllobates terribilis)
• Strawberry dart frogOophaga granulifera)

Although it is less recurrent, some invertebrates they also have lung respiration. Some of these animals have modified lungs, with a structure something different to the lungs that we are used to studying in mammals or birds.

For example, some land and arachnid mollusks have a modification called pneumostoma, which is simply a hole that allows air to enter and exit the interior of the animal. Some examples of lung-breathing invertebrates are: land snails, among which stand out:

• Cabrillas (Otala punctata)
• Serranas (Iberus gualtieranus alonensis)
• Garden snailHelix aspersa)
• Roman snail (Helix pomatia)
• Giant African snail (Achatina fulica)
• Moorish snailCepaea nemoralis)

Within invertebrates with lungs, we can also find a large number of species of spiders and scorpions:

• Black cork oak spider (Macrothele calpeiana)
• Black widow (Latrodectus mactans)
• Giant forest scorpions (Heterometrus spp)
• African black scorpion (Pandinus spp)

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If you want to read more articles similar to Lung-breathing animals, we recommend that you enter our category of biology.

• Hickman, C. P., Ober, W. C. & Garrison, C. W. (2006) Comprehensive Principles of Zoology, 13th edition. McGraw-Hill-Interamericana (Madrid)
• Cerruti, P. (November 11, 2019) Animals that breathe through the lungs.
• Encyclopedia of Examples (2019). Animals with lung respiration.
• Fdze. Roldán, L (October 28, 2019) +105 animals that breathe through lungs.