​What Organs Do Animals Use to Breathe?

​I. Lungs, gills, and skin are 3 ways that animals breathe.

• Mammals, birds, and reptiles use lungs to breath air.

  • marine mammals like dolphins and manatees use lungs.

  • Birds use lungs to breath air.

  • Alligators and turtles can hold their breath while they are underwater, but they need to come to the surface to breath air.

​BREATHING....

​II. Fish use gills to breath.

• The function of lungs and gills is to exchange gases.

  • When water passes over a fish’s gills, oxygen is absorbed from the water.

  • Carbon dioxide is released by the gills into to the water.

​III. Amphibians use a combination of lungs and their skin to breathe.

• Amphibians are able to exchange gases directly through their skin.

  • During different stages in their life cycles, some amphibians use gills as tadpoles.

    • The gills will be replaced with lungs when the tadpole grows into an adult.

​BREATHING....

​IV. Arthropods use many different ways to breathe

• Gills and Lungs

​BREATHING...