Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Excretory system
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
==== Kidneys ==== {{Main|Kidneys}} The kidney's primary function is the elimination of waste from the bloodstream by production of urine. They perform several homeostatic functions such as:- # Maintain volume of extracellular fluid # Maintain ionic balance in extracellular fluid # Maintain pH and osmotic concentration of the extracellular fluid. # Excrete toxic metabolic by-products such as urea, ammonia, and uric acid. The way the kidneys do this is with nephrons. There are over 1 million nephrons in each kidney; these nephrons act as filters inside the kidneys. The kidneys filter needed materials and waste. Needed materials go back into the bloodstream; unneeded materials become urine and are expelled through the urethra. In some cases, excess wastes crystallize as kidney stones. They grow and can become painful irritants that may require surgery or ultrasound treatments. Some stones are small enough to be forced into the urethra.
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)