Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Silly Grasshoppers
Everyone has seen a grasshopper, but do you know how they breathe?
Grasshoppers respire (the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide; aka: breath) through tracheae. A trachea is just an air filled tube. The tracheae have openings on them called spiracles. These spiracles are tiny openings (basically little holes) that are found along the grasshopper’s body. Spiracles allow for oxygen to come into the tracheae, where it moves through the tube to the tracheoles, which are found at the end of the tracheal tubes. The tracheoles are surrounded by specialized cells that absorb oxygen into the body and expel carbon dioxide back into the tracheal tubes, such that it can be push out of the grasshopper though it’s spiracles. It’s actually a very simple process.
Who cares? You will if you ever need to drown a grasshopper.
Now you know not to waste your time with its head, just stick its butt under water.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment