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How does an electric eel use its mouth to take in oxygen?
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eel
The American eel (Anguilla rostrata) is found in habitats along the coast of eastern North America.
The electric eel (Electrophorus electricus) is an obligatory air breather that inhabits oxygen-deficient waters, necessitating a specialized method for gas exchange. To obtain oxygen, the electric eel surfaces every few minutes to gulp air into its mouth.12
The lining of the eel's mouth is highly vascularized, meaning it is rich with blood vessels, which allows the mouth to function effectively as a lung for oxygen absorption. Once the oxygen has been exchanged across these oral membranes, the eel expels the air through its gill slits. While the eel possesses gills, they are vestigial and primarily serve to eliminate carbon dioxide rather than to take in oxygen.12