Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Snake and Squid Digestion

     The digestive system of a snake is somewhat like ours. It has salivary glands and sometimes venom glands near its mouth. Its esophagus covers half the length of its body and has internal folds, which can come in handy when the snake is swallowing large prey. Its stomach is, like ours, J-shaped and has gastric juices for breaking up enzymes and proteins. The food goes into the small intestine where the nutrients are absorbed by the snake's body. Next the food goes into the large intestine, the least muscular part of a snake's digestive system. Finally, the waste leaves the body through an opening called the cloaca.

     The squid, however, has a digestive system quite different from ours. The food, usually fish, is first torn apart by the squid's beak, called the radula. Next the food is absorbed by the squid's body and sometimes digested more in the stomach. Then waste is compacted and goes through the anus and out the siphon which is near the mouth.