You need air to breathe. If you stay underwater too long, you run out of air. But a fish can live underwater its whole life and never come up for air!
Let's discover the fish's amazing secret: gills. Tap Next to dive in! 🤿
The part of air we need to breathe is called oxygen. Here's the surprise: tiny bits of oxygen are floating dissolved inside the water too — you just can't see them!
Where do you think fish get their oxygen from? Tap the correct answer.
Instead of lungs, a fish has gills — feathery red parts on each side of its head, hidden under a flap. Tap each glowing part to learn what it does!
A fish keeps water moving over its gills. Water goes in the mouth ➜ over the gills ➜ out the gill flap. Tap the button to help the fish pump water!
Oxygen collected: 0 of 5 gulps
Inside the red gills, blood does a clever swap with the water:
Oxygen moves into the blood 👍 | waste gas carbon dioxide moves out into the water 👋
Drag each token into the right box. Which goes into the fish, and which comes out?
Gills only work when they are wet. Out of water, the feathery gills stick together and dry out — so they can't grab oxygen, even though there's lots of air around!
Sort these animals: does it breathe with gills or with lungs? Tap to sort.
Here's how a fish breathes underwater:
Fun fact: Sharks must keep swimming so fresh water keeps flowing over their gills — some would suffocate if they stopped! 🦈
Well done, young scientist! Now you'll never look at a fish tank the same way again. 🐠✨