Excretory Products and their Elimination – Notes

Excretory Products and Excretory Structures
Carbon dioxide, ammonia, urea, uric acid, water and excess ions like phosphate, sulphate, sodium, potassium and chloride are some of the excretory products produced in our body.
The process of elimination of metabolic waste products from the animal body is called excretion.
Ammonia-excreting animals are called ammonotelic animals and the process is called ammonotelism.
Excretion in the form of urea is called ureotelism and such animals are called ureotelic animals.
Animals excreting nitrogenous wastes in the form of uric acid are called uricotelic animals and the process is called uricotelism.
In mammals, apart from the kidneys, which are the main excretory organs, the skin, liver and lungs also help in excretion.

Human Excretory System
The human excretory system consists of a pair of kidneys, a pair of ureter, a urinary bladder and the urethra.
The kidneys are compact, bean-shaped organs on either side of the spinal cord in the lower back.