Breathing Occurs Even With Full Mouth

close up photograph of a brown rattle snake

Biological Strategy

Western diamondback rattlesnake

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Distribute Gases

Gases of particular importance to living systems are oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. Oxygen and carbon dioxide are involved in respiration, so distributing these gases efficiently and effectively is important for a living system’s survival. However, gases are difficult to contain because they disperse easily. To accommodate this, living systems have strategies for confining gases and using gases’ properties to their advantage. For example, prairie dogs and mound-building termites build systems of tunnels and mounds that take advantage of wind to ventilate their underground homes.

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Reptiles

Class Reptilia (“creeping”): Lizards, crocodiles, turtles, snakes

Reptiles retain some of the key characteristics that first enabled vertebrates to live permanently on land. They have dry skin covered in scales made of keratin that help prevent water loss. (Amphibians still need to stick close to water to keep their skin moist.) Many reptiles reproduce by laying eggs that are watertight and have a yolk, so eggs can develop on land while staying moist and nourished. Reptiles are also ectotherms, meaning they don’t produce their own body heat. This means they burn through energy much more slowly than “warm blooded” creatures of the same size. It also means that they need to keep warm to keep active, which is why you might see them spending a seemingly inordinate amount of time simply basking in the sun.

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The windpipe of a western diamondback rattlesnake allows breathing with a mouthful of prey because it protrudes from the bottom of the snake's mouth.

“A western diamondback rattlesnake strikes at an intruder. The snake’s jaws are specially hinged to allow it to open them extremely wide. This is necessary because the fangs curve inwards and need to be plunged vertically into the prey. When not in use they are folded back against the roof of the mouth (see diagram). The snake’s windpipe is protruding at the bottom of its mouth — this is so that the snake can still breathe after it has a mouthful of prey.” (Foy and Oxford Scientific Films 1982:149)

Foy S, Oxford Scientific Films. The Grand Design: Form and Colour in Animals. Lingfield, Surrey, U.K.: BLA Publishing Limited for J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd, London; 1982. 238 p.

Last Updated August 18, 2016

References

Book

The grand design: Form and colour in animals

BLA Publishing Limited for J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd, Aldine House, London | 26/02/1983 | Sally Foy

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