Riley Pennington The Digestive System

Table of Contents Basic Overview of Assignment My System Digestive System and Its’ parts How it works Difference between humans and animals.

Overview We are going to be dissecting rats and need to become familiar with the body systems of an organism. The systems normally take on the same shape in all organisms, although there are unique parts to specific animals, such as the human and the rat. My job is to recognize and dissect the digestive system of the rat.

The Digestive System In animals, there are a system of organs that make up our digestive system. The function of the digestive system is to convert food into usable energy for the body, as well as dispose of the waste that came along with it. The digestive system starts with the mouth and ends with the anus. It is composed of many parts such at the stomach and small intestines. With all of these organs working together, they complete daily activities animals need to survive. All animals have the same reason for a digestive system. Even if they have different parts, as a whole, they are carrying out the same function.

Parts and functions.(Rat) Digestive partsDigestive functions Mouth/Teeth/Saliva: Food enters, broken down. Tongue: Food is pushed back into throat. Esophagus: Food travels down towards stomach. Epiglottis: Muscle that covers the trachea to enable swallowing. Stomach: Food goes in, and is churned with a mixture of acids. Caecum: An organ where food is stored to basically rot until sent to the intestine. (In herbivores) Pancreas: Produces insulin for sugar control and releases digestive enzymes in the blood. Liver: Spits bile into the small intestine to break down food. Small intestine: Broken down food travels through and nutrients is absorbed into its’ walls. Large intestine: Solid waste travels. Rectum: Waste is held. Anus: Waste leaves the body.

Humans and Rats’ Digestive Systems Contains a gallbladder No caecum Liver is one, not broken Up into sections. Bile is churned in with the Stomach, not the small intestine Humans are omnivores. No gallbladder, Rats are granivores, on a diet of strictly nuts. Contains a organ in its’ system known as the cesium, where food “rots” until ready to be broken down further within the intestine itself. Bile goes into small intestine. Turns food into energy. Human Digestive SystemRat Digestive System

Digestive System of a rat.

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