My question in this particular topic is how can birds breathe with such small bodies and such high altitudes where air pressure is so high?
The interesting fact here is that their lungs are barely even involved in breathing. They have air sacs that do the gas exchange that expand into bones over their entire body. They are basically like living balloons that just don't explode.
http://www.thewildclassroom.com/biodiversity/birds/aviantopics/environmentalphysiology.html
The video is really good - great resource for explaining the structure and function of the parts of the lungs as well as gas exchange. We will watch this in class - thanks for finding it!
ReplyDeleteThis is so intriguing I have never thought about a bird and its respiratory system being any different than a humans, I was clearly wrong! Well Done.
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