Exotics GIT

Question 1

bird core body temp?

Answer 1

42 degrees celcius

Question 2

gut transit times in reptiles?

Answer 2

much slower due to much lower core body temp

Question 3

length of oesophagus of fish?

Answer 3

short

Question 4

what are the four forms of stomachs of a fish?

Answer 4

Y-shaped (eels)
U-shaped (trout)
Absent (e.g. blennies)
Straight (e.g. mullet)

Question 5

what separates the stomach from the intestines in a fish?

Answer 5

pyloric sphincter

Question 6

pyloric caeca?

Answer 6

present in some species of fish, thought to secrete digestive enzymes (contended)

Question 7

swim bladder?

Answer 7

pocket of gas - absorb or release gas in order to change their buoyancy
not all species have a swim bladder

Question 8

what species are swimbladders not present in?

Answer 8

elasmobranchs and ray finned species

Question 9

where is kidney found in fish?

Answer 9

invaginations inbetweeen vertebrae of spine

Question 10

squamata?

Answer 10

scaled
e.g. saurai (lizards), serpentes (snakes) and amphisbena (worm lizards)

Question 11

lungs of snakes?

Answer 11

tend to only have one lung

Question 12

what direction are the teeth facing in snakes and why?

Answer 12

teeth are backward facing to aid swallowing

Question 13

what organ is normally diffused?

Answer 13

pancreas

Question 14

stomach of crocodilians?

Answer 14

two part stomach - one part glandular and one part muscular

Question 15

problems with chameleon having a long tongue?

Answer 15

they can swallow it and it can stick out the rear end

Question 16

tortoises, turtles and terrapins do not have teeth…

Answer 16

instead they have a keratinised beak

Question 17

fermentation of tortoises, turtles and terrapins?

Answer 17

hindgut fermentation

Question 18

hibernation?

Answer 18

rumation

Question 19

why starce before rumation?

Answer 19

due to hindgut fermentaiton - septisemia

Question 20

how long do you starce tortoises for?

Answer 20

couple of weeks

Question 21

what are beaks?

Answer 21

they are bone covered in rhampotheca (keratinised epidermis) for protection

Question 22

birds can’t taste?

Answer 22

pepper/chilli powder

Question 23

gular pouch in which birds?

Answer 23

it is a large adaptation of the oesophagus
found in pelicans, frigate birds and boobys

Question 24

geese ‘teeth’ made from?

Answer 24

made from tomium (the sharp bit of the beak)

Question 25

tomium?

Answer 25

good for tearing away at leaves

Question 26

ventirculus AKA?

Answer 26

gizzard

Question 27

gizzard?

Answer 27

solid muscular structure - feels like a stone - small pocket inside - helps to grind down food items

Question 28

which bird species do not have a crop?

Answer 28

owls, raptors, swans, geese

Question 29

crop milk?

Answer 29

milky paste for young to feed on made out of sloughing of epithelial cells e.g. pigeons, doves and flamingos)

Question 30

grit is really important for which bird especially?

Answer 30

chickens

Question 31

birds instead of caercun?

Answer 31

caeca - paired caecum

Question 32

which rodent species does not have a gall bladder?

Answer 32

rats

Question 33

three issues with the cheek pouches in rodents?

Answer 33

things can get stuck
sometimes sick animal ‘eating’ are not eating
abscesses and tumours may occur

Question 34

what species engage in coprophagy?

Answer 34

rats, mice

Question 35

coprophagy

Answer 35

eat faeces to get extra nutrition

Question 36

caecotrophy?

Answer 36

specialised coprophagy