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Is the aestivating lungfish the first vertebrate with suctional breathing?

Abstract

THE current view is that ventilation of the lungs by aspiratory, negative-pressure inhalation probably occurred in the earliest, now extinct amphibians1. But no aspiration breathing has been demonstrated in extant air-breathing vertebrates below reptiles, which use freely movable ribs and specialised muscles for this purpose. We report experiments showing that the aestivating lungfish relies on suctional breathing.

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LOMHOLT, J., JOHANSEN, K. & MALOIY, G. Is the aestivating lungfish the first vertebrate with suctional breathing?. Nature 257, 787–788 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/257787a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/257787a0

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