How do rodents respire?

How do rodents respire?

• A. Using gills
• B. Moving wings
• C. Through the skin
• D. Through the lungs

Answer: (D)

Rodents rely on lungs for gas exchange. Air is inhaled through the nose or mouth, travels down the trachea into the bronchi and bronchioles, and reaches tiny air sacs called alveoli. There, oxygen diffuses into the blood while carbon dioxide moves from the blood into the alveolar air to be exhaled. This pulmonary system matches the high metabolic needs of mammals. Gills are used by water-dwelling animals, not terrestrial mammals. The skin isn’t a significant respiratory surface in mammals, and wings do not participate in breathing. So the lungs are where respiration happens in rodents.

Rodents rely on lungs for gas exchange. Air is inhaled through the nose or mouth, travels down the trachea into the bronchi and bronchioles, and reaches tiny air sacs called alveoli. There, oxygen diffuses into the blood while carbon dioxide moves from the blood into the alveolar air to be exhaled. This pulmonary system matches the high metabolic needs of mammals. Gills are used by water-dwelling animals, not terrestrial mammals. The skin isn’t a significant respiratory surface in mammals, and wings do not participate in breathing. So the lungs are where respiration happens in rodents.