The Excretory System
The main function of the Excretory system is to remove urine and waste from the body.
This system could also be called the
"removal system."
Getting rid of Urine in the blood
As shown in the diagram, the contains several
structures. The kidneys are two organs located high up and toward
the rear of the abdomen, one on each side of the spine. Kidneys
function much as the filter in the fish tank does. In fact, the kidneys
are often called the body’s filters. Materials travel in your blood to
the kidneys. There, some substances are removed, and others are
returned to the blood.
After the kidneys filter chemical waste from the blood, the liquid
travels down two tubes called ureters. The ureters
bring the waste to the bladder, a storage sac with a wall of smooth
muscle. The lower neck of the bladder leads into the urethra, a tube
that carries the liquid waste outside the body. Voluntary muscles at one
end of the bladder allow a person to hold the urethra closed until he or
she is ready to release the muscles. At that time, the bladder contracts
and sends the liquid waste, or out of the body
structures. The kidneys are two organs located high up and toward
the rear of the abdomen, one on each side of the spine. Kidneys
function much as the filter in the fish tank does. In fact, the kidneys
are often called the body’s filters. Materials travel in your blood to
the kidneys. There, some substances are removed, and others are
returned to the blood.
After the kidneys filter chemical waste from the blood, the liquid
travels down two tubes called ureters. The ureters
bring the waste to the bladder, a storage sac with a wall of smooth
muscle. The lower neck of the bladder leads into the urethra, a tube
that carries the liquid waste outside the body. Voluntary muscles at one
end of the bladder allow a person to hold the urethra closed until he or
she is ready to release the muscles. At that time, the bladder contracts
and sends the liquid waste, or out of the body
The organs of the Excretory system:
lungs, skin, liver, kidney and the bladder.
Fun Facts:
- Waste is stored in the rectum.
- The average adult bladder can hold 16-24 ounces of urine.
- One kidney measures to be about 4 inches!
- Kidney stones could be the size of golf balls.
- The Ureter is the size of a spaghetti noodle.
- As you urinate, your bladder starts to shrink only to grow larger when it fills with urine.