Skip to content
PawLabel
Sign in
anatomy guide

Bearded dragon respiratory system — glottis, trachea, and faveolar lungs

Overview of the bearded dragon's respiratory tract — nostrils, glottis, trachea, and paired faveolar lungs ventilated by rib muscles rather than by a diaphragm.
General educational reference only — not clinical or veterinary advice. Anatomy varies between individual animals; consult a licensed veterinarian for any health concern.

Nostrils, glottis, and trachea

Air enters through the nostrils, passes the internal nares into the mouth, and reaches the glottis — a slit-like opening at the base of the tongue that stays closed except during a breath. Below it the trachea runs down the neck, held open by cartilage, and divides into two bronchi.

Paired faveolar lungs

The bronchi lead to paired lungs lying in the front of the body cavity. Reptile lungs are not built from dead-end alveoli like a mammal's: the internal wall is folded into a honeycomb of chambers called faveoli. This gives a simpler structure with far less exchange surface per unit of lung volume than a mammalian lung, matching a much lower resting metabolic rate.

Breathing without a diaphragm

Bearded dragons have no muscular diaphragm. Breathing is driven by the intercostal and other trunk muscles, which swing the ribs to draw air in and force it out. Because the animal is an ectotherm, breathing rate and oxygen demand rise and fall with body temperature.

Sources

More Bearded Dragon anatomy

Digestive systemSkeletal systemThermoregulation and integumentary systemDental anatomy

Other species

Dog digestive system — anatomy overviewDog skeletal system — anatomy overviewDog cardiovascular system — anatomy overviewDog respiratory system — anatomy overviewDog urinary system — anatomy overviewDog integumentary system — skin and coat anatomy overviewDog nervous system — anatomy overviewDog dental anatomy — teeth overviewCat digestive system — anatomy overviewCat skeletal system — anatomy overviewCat cardiovascular system — anatomy overviewCat respiratory system — anatomy overviewCat urinary system — anatomy overviewCat integumentary system — skin and coat anatomy overviewCat dental anatomy — teeth overviewRabbit digestive system — hindgut fermentation and cecotrophyRabbit dental anatomy — continuously growing (elodont) teethRabbit skeletal system — lightweight bones and a fragile spineFerret digestive system — short-gut obligate carnivoreFerret respiratory system — anatomy overviewGuinea pig digestive system — hindgut fermenter with vitamin-C dependenceGuinea pig dental anatomy — open-rooted, continuously growing teethParrot respiratory system — air sacs and flow-through lungsParrot digestive system — crop, gizzard, and cloacaParrot skeletal system — pneumatic bones and a flight frameSnake digestive system — a highly distensible carnivore gutSnake skeletal system — vertebrae and ribsTortoise skeletal system — carapace, plastron, and fused ribsTortoise digestive system — beak, gut, and hindgut fermentationParrot urinary system — avian kidneys, ureters, and uric acidLeopard gecko digestive system — an insectivore's gutParrot cardiovascular system — avian heart and circulationTurtle skeletal system — shell, girdles, and neck retractionSnake respiratory system — glottis, tracheal lung, and one functional lungLeopard gecko skeletal system — limbs and tail autotomyAxolotl respiratory system — external gills, lungs, and skinHorse digestive system — hindgut fermenter with a large colonSnake integumentary system — scales, ecdysis, and the spectacleTortoise respiratory system — breathing inside a rigid shellBetta respiratory system — gills and the labyrinth organGoldfish digestive system — pharyngeal teeth and no true stomachGoldfish respiratory system — gill arches, lamellae, and countercurrent exchangeParrot integumentary system — feathers, tracts, and the preen glandSnake cardiovascular system — a three-chambered heart along the bodyLeopard gecko integumentary system — skin, shedding, and toes without padsChinchilla dental anatomy — elodont teeth and continuous eruptionChinchilla digestive system — a sacculated cecum and an exceptionally long colonAfrican pygmy hedgehog integumentary system — spines, mantle, and the orbicularis muscleRat dental anatomy — continuously growing incisors and rooted molars

Explore

All anatomy guidesToxic foods & substancesPet-food allergens