Why is Oxygen Important to Animals?
Oxygen is a very important source of energy for animals and it also helps clear out junky toxins and waste. Most animals have varying forms of collecting oxygen but all processes of it end with the distribution of oxygen to cells in the body and the mitochondria of the cell using oxygen as energy. In humans, for instance, we breathe in air which consists of oxygen and a variety of other things. In the lungs, the oxygen we breathed in gets filtered into the blood stream where it travels all throughout the body, feeding into cells. In the mitochondria, a process called cellular respiration occurs where nutrients, like oxygen, are converted into energy. This process also includes ATP, which is the separation of potential energy into groups of three. This triggers sparks of energy which run every cell in every organism.
The Goblin Shark's Respiratory System
The respiratory system of a shark is similar to that of most other sharks. Sharks consume oxygen through their mouths and have to constantly move their jaw in order to flow the oxygen rich water [3]. Gill filaments contain blood which oxygen is filtered into from passing water [3]. When the water is depleted of oxygen, it then exits through the gills [3]. Unlike the human respiratory system, sharks do not have a trachea, a diaphragm, lungs, or alveoli for absorbing oxygen [3]. After the blood receives oxygen from the water, it circulates it to all the cells in the shark's body. Waste from the results of ATP exits through the gills.