How do fish breathe underwater?
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Transcript
How can fish breathe when they live underwater?
A fish opens its mouth and lets water flow in. The water carries tiny bits of air mixed in it.
Water moves over feathery parts called gills on each side of the fish's head. Gills take the air bits from the water.
The fish sends the water back out through its gill covers. The air bits help its body keep swimming and growing.
So that's how fish breathe underwater. Their gills take air from the water!
For grown-ups: the science
Fish use gills to take tiny bits of air from water.
Fish breathe using gills. Water enters the mouth and passes over thin gill surfaces, where dissolved oxygen moves into the blood and carbon dioxide moves out into the water. Many fish pump water over their gills, while some also get flow by swimming.