Anatomy of a pig
Pig digestive system
Tongue
• For taste
• Pushing food into the esophagus
Papillae
• Rough edges of that tongue that contain the taste buds
Hard and soft palate
• Separate the nasopharynx from the mouth
Parotid gland
• Secretes saliva (amylase enzyme) which breaks down starches into sugar
Stomach
• Stores food
• Begins digestion of tissues and proteins by secretion of gastric juices. These juices are very acidic (pH 1-2). The semi-digested stomach contents are called chyme
Esophagus
• Transports food from the mouth to the stomach. Waves of involuntary muscle contraction (peristalsis) push food down the esophagus Pylorus
• A muscle that regulates the flow of chyme into the small intestine
Duodenum
• The section of the small intestine immediately below the stomach. Digestive juices from the gallbladder, liver, pancreas and gland cells in the intestinal wall mix here with chyme to continue with digestion
Pancreas
• As a digestive organ, the pancreas secretes hydrolytic enzymes and a buffer into the duodenum. The pancreas also acts as an endocrine gland
Liver
• Regulating blood sugar levels
• Converting lactic acid to glycogen
• Lipid regulation
• Deamination of amino acids
• Detoxifying / storing toxins
• Manufacturing plasma proteins
• Manufacturing plasma lipid cholesterol
• Storing vitamins and iron
• Forming red blood cells in embryos
• Destroying old red blood cells
• Excreting bile pigments and salt
Small intestine
• The primary site of hydrolysis of food and absorption of nutrients
Large intestine
• Collects the waste from the small intestine and reabsorbs water
Caecum
• Analogous to the human appendix
• In herbivores it contains microorganisms capable of digesting cellulose
Colon
• The end of the large intestine which ducts the waste out of the