Mammalian Feeding

Question 1

Herbivore molar model

Answer 1

Grinding from side to side a tough fibrous matter into a more digestible form

Question 2

Occlusal surface

Answer 2

Grinding or biting surface of the tooth

Question 3

What happened to teeth as mammals evolved in the Mesozoic?

Answer 3

Teeth became differentiated

Question 4

Insectivorous

Answer 4

Feeds on insects

Question 5

Insectivore feeding specialisation

Answer 5

The tongue of Tamandua is specialised as a long worm like structure which is anchored to the sternum and can be extensively protruded to catch ants and termites

Question 6

How do digestive systems of mammals vary

Answer 6

Digestive systems of mammals vary in morphology depending on diet

Question 7

Digestive system of a short tailed shrew vs a red fox

Answer 7

Short tailed shrew: stomach and anus but no cecum (very short intestine)

Red fox: oesophagus, stomach, cecum and anus

Question 8

Three types of carnivores

Answer 8

Terrestrial
Aerial (vampire bats)
Aquatic (baleens - filter feeders)

Question 9

How are vampire bats specialised for feeding

Answer 9

Blade like upper incisors

Question 10

How are muscles and teeth adapted in the Canidae?

Answer 10

Differ depending on food intake
African wild dogs have a wounding bite
Side striped jackal has a puncturing grip
Bat eared fox has rapid champing

Question 11

Importance of herbivores

Answer 11

Constitute the base of the consumer food web

Question 12

Monogastric digestive system

Answer 12

Composed of a single stomach

Question 13

Digastric digestive system

Answer 13

Seen in ruminants and is composed of four stomachs

Question 14

Foregut fermentation

Answer 14

Form of digestion that occurs in the foregut of some animals

Common in ruminants

Question 15

Hindgut fermentation

Answer 15

Digestive process in monogastric herbivores

Enlarged fermentation compartments in the cecum or colon

Question 16

Granivory

Answer 16

Seed predation

Question 17

Folivory

Answer 17

Herbivores that specialises in eating leaves

Question 18

Frugivory

Answer 18

Animal eats raw fruits or succulent fruit like produce of plants

Question 19

Mycophagy

Answer 19

Organisms that consume fungi
Sciuridae (squirrels)
Cricetidae (family of rodents)
Potoridae (family of marsupials)

Question 20

Species that exhibit Nectarivory

Answer 20

Honey possums

Question 21

Species that exhibit gummivory

Answer 21

Marmosets
Bush babies
Lorises

Question 22

Coprophagy

Answer 22

Eating of faeces

Question 23

How did coprophagy evolve

Answer 23

Evolved in shrews, rodents and Lagomorphs to cope with large quantities of vegetation

Question 24

Digestive system adaptions for animals that exhibit coprophagy

Answer 24

Possess a large cecum that contains bacterial flora used to help digest cellulose

Cecum present for digestion of cellulose in the hindgut fermenters

Question 25

Species that exhibit omnivory

Answer 25

Oppossums
Primates
Pigs
Bears
Racoons

Question 26

What is dentition and digestive system of omnivores like?

Answer 26

Versatile dentition

Relatively simple digestive system