Lungs of Different Animals

All mammals have them, from the tiny bumblebee bat, the world’s smallest mammal, to the great blue whale, the world’s largest. So do spiders, lizards, frogs, and many other creatures. But no critter’s lungs can compare to those of birds for efficiency and flow.

Unlike human lungs, which fill and empty like balloons, birds’ lungs are part of a circuit that supplies them with a constant flow of air. It’s no wonder they can soar to the top of Mount Everest, where the air is thin. Most humans need tanks of oxygen to hike there.