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Cloaca facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The cloaca is a common rear opening in land vertebrates. Through this opening, the animals expel urine and faeces, and carry out reproduction.

The cloaca is a primitive or 'basal' feature of tetrapods. All amphibia, all sauropsids (reptiles and birds) and even monotreme mammals possess a cloaca.

A different method is used by therian mammals, such as marsupials and placentals. They have an anus for defecation, and another opening for urine and sexual reproduction.

Images for kids

  • Avian cloaca

    Cloaca of a Red-tailed hawk

  • Poss Cloaca2

    Cloacal opening in an Australian brushtail possum

  • Turtle Cloacal Respiration

    Some aquatic turtle species can breathe underwater using a process known as cloacal respiration. In this process the turtles pump water into their cloacal orifice (labeled 1) by contracting muscles in their inguinal pocket. The water then travels to the cloacal bursae (labeled 2), which are a pair of internal pouch-like structures. The cloacal bursae are lined with long fimbriae (labeled 3), which is the site of gas exchange.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Cloaca (zoología) para niños

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Cloaca Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.