Largest Organ In the Human Body

A human body is mainly composed of 75 to 80 organs, which are collectively called the organ system. These systems function to keep us alive.

An organ can be simply defined as a self-contained group of tissues, which performs a specific function in the body.

The organs are mainly composed of millions of tissues and billions of cells, which remain to unite and work together to carry out a particular function. The different types of organs in the human body are- skin, heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, stomach, brain, etc.

Also Read: Human Body

What is the largest organ in the human body?

Based on the weight and the length of the body organ, they are classified as the longest organs in the human body. These organs can be easily seen and are involved in multiple functions.

The ten largest organs in the body are – skin, liver, brain, lungs, heart, kidney, spleen, pancreas, thyroid and joints.

Let us discover interesting information related to the main largest organs in the human body.

The Skin

Skin is the external largest organ of the human body. It is a vital organ with a fleshy surface covered with hair, nerves, glands and nails. It covers your whole body and acts as a barrier between outside and inside environment.

Human skin is approximately two millimetres in thickness, weighs around 10895.10 grams, which makes up about 16 per cent of the overall body mass. Overall, the skin acquires an area of 20 square feet on our body surface.

Functions of the skin

It is one of the primary sense organs that can sense touch, heat, pressure, cold, pain and pleasure. Other functions of the skin are:

• Prevents water loss.
• Regulates body temperature.
• Receives sensory information.
• Stores water, fat, and vitamin D.
• Protects by avoiding the entry of pathogens.
• Synthesizes vitamin D when it is exposed to sunshine.
• Excretes excess of water, salts and other wastes in the form of sweat through the sweat pores.
• Protects the body from environmental factors like UV rays, pollution, germs, radiation from the sun, allergens and more.
• In all higher animals, skin functions as camouflage, which produces colours and patterns that blend in with the surroundings. This helps in both protection from predators and also makes it easier for predators to catch their prey.
• The skin of animals living in a colder region acts as an insulator and protects them from extreme cold conditions.

Also Read: Structure And Functions Of Skin

The Liver

The liver is the largest, internal and diverse metabolically complicated organ in humans. The human liver is involved in 500 different functions. In the human body, the liver is located in the upper right area of the abdomen, beneath the rib cage and the lungs. The liver is a solid organ, which is approximately 3–3.5 pounds or 1493.79 grams.

Functions of the liver

The liver is the only organ, which has the ability to regenerate efficiently. The important functions of the liver are:

• It produces and excretes bile.
• It detoxifies the blood and purifies it.
• It also acts as a blood clotting factor.
• It produces proteins for blood plasma.
• It stores excess glucose in the form of glycogen.
• It filters and eliminates toxins from the blood cells.
• It carries out the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
• It activates enzymes and stores vitamins, minerals and glycogen.
• It synthesizes plasma proteins, namely albumin and clotting factors
• It is responsible to excrete bilirubin, cholesterol, drugs and hormones.

Read More: Liver

Apart from the skin and the liver, there are other organs which are classified as the largest organs, which are typically based on the mass, length, and width of the organ. These organs include:

The Human Brain

The human brain weighs about 3 pounds or 1.36 kilograms, which makes up about 2 per cent of the overall body mass. The approximate size dimensions of the brain are as follows:

Width: 5.5 inches or 14 centimeters

Height: 3.6 inches or 9.3 centimetres

Length (front to back): 6.5 inches or 16.7 centimetres.

Read more: The Human Brain

The Lungs

Based on the storage capacity, lungs are also classified as the largest human organs. The average human lung can hold 4 to 6 litres of air. The total mass of the healthy human lungs is measured to be 1111.67 grams or 2.45 pounds. The total length of the airways running through the two lungs is 1,500 miles or 2,400 kilometres.

Lungs are the major organs of the respiratory system. Humans have a pair of lungs, which are situated within the thoracic cavity of the chest. The right lung is bigger than the left lung. They are soft, spongy and elastic organs enclosed in a thin membranous sac called the pleura. The total size of both the lungs is equal to the size of a tennis court. Therefore, it is called the largest external organ of the human body. 

Also Read: Lung Volumes and Lung Capacity

The Heart

The next biggest organ after the lungs is the heart. The human heart is one of the most important organs responsible for sustaining life. It is about the size of a closed fist or a size as two hands clasped together. The average human heart measure –

4.7 inches or 12 centimetres long

3.3 inches or 8.5 centimetres wide

On average, the human heart pumps around 1.5 million barrels of blood during its lifetime, which is enough to fill about 200 train tank cars.

Also Refer: Interesting facts about the human heart

This article concludes the introduction to the largest organ in the human body, their features, structure and functions. To know more about the largest organs, other related topics and important questions, keep visiting our website at BYJU’S Biology.