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The gills are composed of comb-like filaments, the gill lamellae, which help increase their surface area for oxygen exchange. [5] When a fish breathes, it draws in a mouthful of water at regular intervals. Then it draws the sides of its throat together, forcing the water through the gill openings, so it passes over the gills to the outside.
Like other fish, sharks extract oxygen from seawater as it passes over their gills. Unlike other fish, shark gill slits are not covered, but lie in a row behind the head. A modified slit called a spiracle lies just behind the eye, which assists the shark with taking in water during respiration and plays a major role in bottom–dwelling sharks.
In contrast, bony fishes have a single outer bony gill covering called an operculum. Most sharks and rays have five pairs of gill slits, but a few species have 6 or 7 pairs. Shark gill slits lie in a row behind the head. The anterior edge of a gill slit is motile, moving outward to allow water to exit, but closing to prevent reverse flow.
Each gill arch has two rows (hemibranchs) of gill filaments; Each gill filament has many lamellae; In osteichthyes, the gills contain 4 gill arches on each side of the head, two on each side for chondrichthyes or seven gill baskets on each side of the fish's head in lampreys. In fish, the long bony cover for the gill (the operculum) can be used ...
Fish gills are organs that allow fish to breathe underwater. Most fish exchange gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide using gills that are protected under gill covers (operculum) on both sides of the pharynx (throat). Gills are tissues that are like short threads, protein structures called filaments. These filaments have many functions including ...
Shark Anatomy (50693674756) The gill slits of a whale shark flaring as it expels water from its pharyngeal cavity. In the shark anatomy image, it depicts the beginning half of the shark, including the gills. The shark gills are especially important and were evolved from the chordate pharyngeal gill slits synapomorphy.
In elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) the spiracle bears a small pseudobranch that resembles a gill in structure, but only receives blood already oxygenated by the true gills. [7] The function of the pseudobranch is unknown, but it is believed that it supplies highly oxygenated blood to the optic choroid and retina and may have baroreceptor ...
These are also often referred to as "sharks" in reference to their similar anatomy and ecology to modern sharks. The name Elasmobranchii comes from the Ancient Greek words elasmo-("plate") and bránchia ("gill"), referring to the broad, flattened gills which are characteristic of these fishes.