The respiratory system of the snake is often a question for some people. Quite a few don’t know, so they’re curious as to what respiratory system snakes use to breathe. If you are also unfamiliar with it, it would be nice to see the following discussion.
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Get to know the snake breathing tool
As we know that snakes are one of the reptiles. Just like humans, snakes also have lungs. The thing that distinguishes it, snakes use only one lung to breathe, in humans there are two lungs.
Still talking about snorkels for snakes, the respiratory system is different from sea snakes. While snakes normally have a non-functioning lung, sea snakes use a lung as a vestigial organ.
The lungs are filled with air so they can stay afloat on water.
Respiratory system of the snake
After knowing the respiratory system of the snake, it is also good to understand what the respiratory system is like.
From the above review it has been revealed that the lungs are a respiratory organ, but did you know that there are actually other respiratory organs that support breathing. So what are the snake’s airways?
Nostril
With the lungs as their primary respiratory organ, snakes also use their nostrils to breathe. This external respiratory organ functions as the inlet and outlet of air from the body.
Glotlis
This small hole behind the tongue is a vertical slit that can be closed and opened as you breathe. This respiratory system influences the hissing sound of the snake.
This is because there is cartilage inside it which will vibrate if the snake deliberately expels air from its lungs but does not breathe.
Trachea
The other respiratory tract is the air that passes through the trachea or trachea. Snakes have an elongated windpipe with a cartilaginous ring around it.
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Bronchus
Before reaching the lungs, the air will first pass through the bronchi. There are two main bronchi in the respiratory system of snakes.
Unique Facts How snakes breathe
In the way snakes breathe, there are various interesting unique facts to know. Here are some of them.
No diaphragm
You must know that snakes don’t have a diaphragm. Because of this, snakes rely on their body’s muscles and ribs as pathways for oxygen. In this sense, the oxygen that the snake breathes will go directly into the respiratory system of the snake.
The tongue as an organ of smell
It’s no secret that the tongue is known as the sense of taste. Then for the nose, it plays an important role as an organ of smell. But it’s different with snakes.
Snakes have tongues that function as olfactory organs, but that doesn’t mean snakes don’t have noses. It turns out that snakes have two nostrils for breathing.
When observing snakes, one often sees the habit of releasing a forked tongue. This is actually not without reason. When sticking out its tongue, the snake is trying to catch scent particles in the air.
Then, when the tongue is pushed back in, it means the particles have been accepted so the snake can smell it better. From this explanation we can say that snakes are able to smell perfumes through their tongue.
Due to the unique fact of the snake’s respiratory system, this reptile can not only breathe through its nose, but also through its mouth. This habit resembles humans. It’s just that snakes use the glottis.
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It has an airbag
Another factor that affects how snakes breathe are the air sacs. This air pocket plays an important role as an organ to continue the hydrostatic process. This process will regulate the amount of air pressure that is in the snake’s body.
You must know that the presence of an airbag shows that the respiratory system is really good. Even when snakes prey on other large animals, they can still breathe properly.
This is because snakes can use other respiratory systems. This habit not only demonstrates the goodness of the snake’s respiratory system, but also of its reproductive system.
After listening to the above review, you now know what a snake’s respiratory system is. Not only that, you are also more familiar with the snake respiratory system complete with unique facts when snakes breathe. We cannot deny that the way snakes breathe is quite unique and interesting to study. (R10/HR-Online)