Inspiration In Mammals Essay

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Mammals

Mammals are vertebrates and, unlike other animals, have 3 middle ear bones (the malleus, incus and stapes), have body hair and provide their young with the milk that females produce in mammary glands, which are modified sweat glands. They are endothermic and produce their body heat internally. Most species of mammals give birth to their living young while some, like the platypus, lay leathery, shelled eggs.

Breathing gives us a continual supply of air to our lungs. Quiet breathing uses muscles only for inspiration while forced breathing uses muscles for both inspiration and expiration.
While quiet breathing, inspiration (inhalation or breathing in) is accomplished by increasing the space, and therefore decreasing the pressure, in the lung. Air then goes into the lungs in response to the decreased pressure inside the lungs.
While quiet breathing, external intercostal muscles contract, which causes the ribcage to expand and move up. The diaphragm then contracts and moves down. The volume of the chest cavity increases, the lungs expand and the pressure inside the lungs decreases. Air then flows into the lungs in response to the pressure gradient. Inspiration (inhalation or breathing in) is accomplished by increasing the space, therefore decreasing the …show more content…

The trachea is strengthened with C shaped bands of cartilage so air gets through trachea easily. The trachea then divides into two small bronchi. The bronchus (singular of bronchi) is a passage of airway in the respiratory tract that conducts air into each lung. The bronchi then divide into even smaller bronchioles. Bronchioles are a tiny branch of air tubes within the lungs that lead air to the alveoli (air sacs). Alveoli are air sacs that provide a large surface area (70 metres squared) for the exchange of respiratory gases, oxygen and carbon dioxide, by diffusion between air in lungs and blood in the

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