Chordate Digestive System
The chordate phylum makes up organisms that live in the sea and fly through the air. Most fish and birds have a gizzard or a form of internal grinding. This is because these animals for the most part do not have teeth and if they do have teeth they are sharp teeth that are used for tearing not chewing. Other similarities include similar use of enzymes, similar absorption of nutrients, and similar excretion process. -T.J. Gray
•Pterois volitans (Red Lion Fish)
The Red Lion Fish has adapted large fins which help it corner prey to eat. Then the fish swallows its prey whole rather fast and it is able to do this because it has an elongated esophagus. Fish that swallow their prey whole are usually know to be more aggressive predator because they try to take on larger fish. Since the Red Lion fish swallows its prey whole they have their teeth in their pharynx. These teeth constitute a few rows and are used to grind and smash the fish that was eaten. This makes it much easier for the fish to swallow, somewhat like having the food chewed for an old person to make it easier for them to swallow as well. The food then continues to move down the passage ways of the digestive system where it encounters the first part of the stomach. Here the muscular Gizzard grinds down the food even more and injects enzymes into it to make it easier for later digestion. The rest of the stomach is not much compared to other creatures like mammals but is more of just a sac full of acidic qualities which break down the eaten fish even more. The stomach of the fish might be considered more of a holding cell where the contents are held until able to continue into the intestines to be absorbed. This is because of the nature of some fish, especially the Red Lion Fish. Eating such relatively large fish makes it that one feeding fish must usually last one day. For starters that means that the metabolism must be slower so that the Red Lion Fish can enjoy the benefits longer. It also means that the entire fish cannot be enjoyed too quickly and must be held in the stomach sac until the nutrients can be absorbed in the intestine. Food then enters the intestine where the nutrients and energy are mostly incorporated into the anatomy of the fish and then the extra is excreted through the anus and the Red Lion Fish produces feces to dispose of it. |
•Falco berigora (Brown Falcon)
The process of the food traveling through the digestive system in the Brown Falcon is very similar to that of the Red Lion Fish, even though one animal is in the ocean and the other predominately lives in the skies hunting for prey. Another major difference is that falcons, and most birds have a very high metabolism rate and have to eat quite a lot to stay alive. That means that the Brown Falcon has to be a successful predator of its prey, which it does with it being the fastest bird on the planet. Also the large claws are used to smash their prey to keep them from escaping and then the beak is used to kill it by cutting its neck. The Brown Falcon is that it feeds predominantly on other birds by attacking them from above. Then the falcon eats the other bird in chunks including feathers and bones. This bring a whole new meaning to the "I ate the bones" phrase. Then about a day later the Brown Falcon will "barf" a spherical basket full of indigested bones and feathers called a casting. This is something shared by other animal eating birds because of their beaks inability to eat around fur and bones. A useful adaption that has helped them survive. The crop in the falcon is another special adaptation of birds. It is where food is stored in the bird prior to digestion. Food could be stored in there because of a big piece of food and the body cannot digest it at one time or other reasons. The most important reason for the crop is the storage of the bones and feathers that the bird does not want to be digesting through their body. This is where those substance are kept until read to be thrown back out in their casting. The Cloaca is a unique feature of the digestive system much different than a human anus. This is because that the cloaca is used for liquid and more substantial excretion. Another fun fact unrelated to the digestive system is that the Cloaca is the same part of the bird used for the reproductive process. This is similiar to humans because the male penis is used for both liquid excretion and reproductive purposes. |
•Megaptera novaeangliae (Humpback Whale)
The main food source for the Humpback Whale is Krill, which is a very small organism. These tiny organisms are too small for teeth to grind, catch, or chew. The Humpback Whale has an adaptation that makes teeth unnecessary. This is Baleen. Long fibers on the upper jaw of the whale that help sort through and capture the plankton that make up the diet of the Humpback Whale. To catch their food they swoop through a swarm of plankton with their mouth wide open to catch them and then they enter their digestive system. The most interesting thing about the Humpback Whale's digestive system is its stomach. There are three parts to this whale's stomach. These parts are separated by small opening that the food travels through. The size of the stomachs are in order from largest to smallest, with the first one being the largest. The first stomach does not create and digestive enzymes but instead just contracts back and forth to crush the krill. This is because this whale does not have any teeth for grinding so must do it in the first stomach chamber instead. The second stomach is used for crushing the Krill as well, but in the second stomach digestive acids are used to break down the Krill even more. The third stomach main purpose is mostly to add more digestive acids to the food and to prepare it for the small and large intestine to continue its path of digestion. The small and large intestine of the whale is where the different nutrients are broken down and absorbed that the whale need to survive. The intestines of the whale are three-hundred feet long! An incredibly long length for an incredibly long animal. After the food moves through the intestines Then the whale excretes feces through his or her anus and that is the digestive system process of the Humpback Whale. |