Other Feeder Digestive System Flashcards
Food pathway in ruminants
Oesophagus, Rumen, Reticulum, Oesophagus, Omasum, Abomasum, Intestine
Oesophagus function
to take food down from the mouth to the rumen, allow through this regurgitation to ‘chew the cud’ and to take food back from the mouth a second time, into the omasum.
Rumen function
to expose the bolus to mutualistic prokaryotes and proteins
Reticulum function
To contract, allowing regurgitation and to expose the bolus to mutualistic prokaryotes and protists.
Omasum function
To absorb water from the food.
Abomasum function
To secrete acid (HCl) and protease enzymes to digest the mutualistic bacteria. Sometimes called the ‘true stomach’.
Carnivore incisors function
to bite flesh off the bone, chisel-like, to cut lumps of meat up
Carnivore canine function
to impale and grip prey and tear the meat.
Carnivore molars and premolars function
To tear meat, have strong pointed cusps
Carnivore carnassials function
To work together like a pair of scissors, taking meat off bones and crushing bones.
Herbivore incisors and horny pad function
To snip off grass
Herbivore diastema (no canines)
To hold grass so that head can look around and to allow tongue to move effectively.
Premolars and molars
To grind down grass and break down cell walls.
Difference in jaw movements, in sheep vs dog
Lower jaw in dog can only move vertically, which helps prevent the jaw from dislocating with struggling prey.
Lower jaw in sheep can move horizontally to grind the grass down.
Why is the length of the gut shorter in a carnivore than a herbivore?
The herbivore needs to accommodate the more bulky food source and it takes longer to digest the herbivore food’s cellulose cell walls.
