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THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM OF
VERTEBRATES
TOPIC: General characteristics of the digestive system
Figure 4.1a Microphagous filter feeders which consume small aquatic invertebrates (photos: basking shark by Dan Gotshall, Atlantic right whale by Jennifer Campbell, blue paddlefish by John MacGregor). < go to CD Chapter 4
Figure 4.1b Baleen filter of gray whale (photo by W. A. Sheppe) < go to CD Chapter 4
Mammalian anteaters, which have weak jaws, relatively simple teeth and a long tongue, are adapted for feeding exclusively on ants or termites (photos: aardvark and scaly anteater by Dr Michael Stoskopf, echidna and giant anteater by Dr Kerri Slifka, aardwolf by J. Visser) < go to CD Chapter 5
Figure 5.7a. A longitudinal and cross section of the horse skull. Most mammals have teeth and jaws that aid in the procurement and breakdown of food. The lower jaw or mandible is narrower than the upper jaw, and its lateral to and fro movements provide an extremely efficient mechanism for grinding of food. (From Norman & Weishampel, 1985) < go to CD Chapter 5
Figure 5.7b Skull of a South American Margay (Felis tigerina) and the mandibular tooth of an Asian elephant. The elephant tooth has a weight about equal to a telephone book, and the dark band (gingival crest) marks the separation between the root and the crown. (Contributed by David A. Fagan, The Colyer Institute, P. O. Box 26118, San Diego, CA) < go to CD Chapter 5
Figure 4.2. Regions of glandular mucosa lining the stomach of vertebrates. Proper gastric and pyloric glandular mucosa are found in the stomach of all vertebrates other than larval amphibians, monotremes, and armadillos. The stomachs of salamanders, reptiles, and mammals contain the additional region of cardiac glandular mucosa near the gastroesophageal junction. (Stevens 2001) < go to CD Chapter 4
Figure 4.3. Intestinal villus and crypt of the midgut. Inset shows an enlarged absorptive/digestive cell, with its microvilli or brush border. (From Stevens and Hume 1995) < go to CD Chapter 4
Figure 4.4. Relationship between lumen surface area of the midgut or small intestine, and body mass. Surface areas are nominal (length x diameter) except where otherwise indicated, and include ceca when present in fish and birds (From Karasov & Hume 1997.) < go to CD Chapter 4
Variations in the cecum of primates (From Flower, W. H. Lectures III, IV and V on the Comparative Anatomy of the Organs of Digestion of the Mammalia. Royal College of Surgeons of England, February and March, 1872)
Figure 4.6. Cross-section of the intestine. (Stevens 2001.) < go to CD Chapter 4
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