The Excretory System :

The human body produces urea and escess water as waste products. The excretory system collects
and removes body waste in the form of urine. The escretory system consists of Kidneys, Ureters,
urinary bladder and urethra.

Our body produces 2 kinds of waste – excess water and urea. Urea is a chemical that comes from the
breakdown of proteins. It , along with the excess water forms urine, a yellowish, watery fluid which
needs to be removed from the body. The process by which the human body gets rid of waste is
known as urine excretion.

The 2 bean shaped kidneys act like filters by removing waste from blood. As the blood passes
through the kidneys, the useful materials like glucose and water are absorbed back into it. The
filtered urea and excess water flow from the kidney, down two narrow tubes called ureters, in the
form of urine. The ureters carry urine to the urinary bladder which is a pouch like organ that stores
urine.

In addition to excretion, our body also removes wasted through egestion. Egestion is the process of
removal of undigested food ( faeces) through the anus and is carried out by the digestive system.

The urinary bladder is like a balloon. It expands to hold urine that continually trickles down from the
Kidneys via the ureters. The Sphincter muscles are a band of muscles found at the end of the urinary
bladder. These muscles contract to close the opening of the bladder into the urethra, a small tube
through which urine leaves the body. When the bladder is half full, we begin feeling uncomfortable.
This discomfort, a message from our body telling us to visit the washroom, increases as the bladder
fills up. A full bladder exerts force on the sphincter muscles, which then relax and allow urine to
flow from the bladder to the urethra.

Highlights

The kidneys are the bean shaped organs that filter out waste and make urine.

The ureters are tubes that carry urine to the urinary bladder.

The urinary bladder is a muscular pouch that stores urine.

Sphincter muscles control the opening of the bladder into the urethra.

The urethra is a small tube that excretes urine.

The sphincter muscles relax to allow urine to pass out from the bladder.

The Urea and excess water are removed from the body in the form of urine.

The Kidneys filter out waste and make urine.