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Panting in animals

Submitted by ncarbone on Thu, 03/07/2019 - 23:49

Organisms in hot environments use multiple different methods to try and stay cool and keep their body temperature regulated. Panting, which is commonly seen in dogs, helps cool the organism by passing air over their moist tongue. Not only does this keep their mouth cool, but it also helps keep the brain cool which is crucial to an organism’s life. The difference between breathing and panting is the frequency at which it happens. Normal breathing is about 30-40 respirations per minute whereas panting is somewhere between 300-400 respirations per minute. Panting occurs at fast paces for short periods alongside normal slow frequency periods. Panting is not only seen in dogs however. Birds, reptiles, and many other organisms use panting to maintain a cool body temperature.

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