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nostril

File:Human_Nostrils_01.JPG · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ858590· pop 50· linked from 783 articles

Also known as naris, nares

A nostril (or naris , : nares ) is either of the two orifices of the nose. They enable the entry and exit of air and other gasses through the nasal cavities. In birds and mammals, they contain branched bones or cartilages called turbinates, whose function is to warm air on inhalation and remove moisture on exhalation. Fish do not breathe through noses, but they do have two small holes used for smelling, which can also be referred to as nostrils (with the exception of Cyclostomi, which have just one nostril).

Key facts

Anatomy.Name
Nostril
Anatomy.Image
File:Human Nostrils 01.JPG
Anatomy.Caption
Human nostrils
Anatomy.Latin
naris
Anatomy.System
Olfactory system
Anatomy.Part_of
Nose

via Wikipedia infobox

~3 min read

Encyclopedic overview

3 sections
Contents
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

A nostril (or naris , : nares ) is either of the two orifices of the nose. They enable the entry and exit of air and other gasses through the nasal cavities. In birds and mammals, they contain branched bones or cartilages called turbinates, whose function is to warm air on inhalation and remove moisture on exhalation. Fish do not breathe through noses, but they do have two small holes used for smelling, which can also be referred to as nostrils (with the exception of Cyclostomi, which have just one nostril).

In humans, the nasal cycle is the normal ultradian cycle of each nostril's blood vessels becoming engorged in swelling, then shrinking.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “nostril” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.