Digestive system:
Shark's digestive system is similar to one of a human, due to the similar organs and their similar purposes. For example sharks as well as humans have an esophagus, a pancreas, a stomach, an intestine and a liver that serve similar functions to the ones in humans. But, of course are different to be able to successfully digest the type of things that sharks eat. The overall track of the food being consumed from the mouth and ending up coming out of the cloaca, is a similar process to the one of humans.
The meal of a shark has to go through this track or organs for the food to be digested fully, with extracting the energy and materials it needs from its food to survive. Shark usually tear up their prey and swallow it. The esophagus helps the food enter the digestive track and doesn't allow the food to go back out of the sharks mouth. Also leads the food into the shark's stomach using a ring of muscle called the sphincter. The stomach takes up about 20% of the sharks length in the inside and is about 10% of it's total body weight. Their stomach contains cells and mucus that aids in the digestion of their food such as meats and bones. In the stomach there are secreting cells that produce hydrochloric acid which breaks down the food. There is also a wall of mucus in the stomach that protects the stomach from digesting itself with the acid. The stomach also is composed of rings of muscles that helps the stomach to mix and move around the the food that's inside. Another organ that break's down naterials in the digestive track is the Pancreas. The pancreas in this digestive track, contains enzyms to help break down proteins. The pancreas of a shark is very important and physically is very large. The liver serves as a bank that holds many minerals and vitamins that can be used when the shark is low supply of it. Therefore, the pancreas basically keeps the body stabilized and in homeostasis. The liver is also made of oils that allows the sharks buoyancy to be greater. Then the food goes through the intestine which is comparibly much shorter than in humans. There are three different intestinal valves can be found in different sharks. The ring valve, can be found in great white sharks which allow the maximum absorbency of nutrients and allow the shark to live their high energy diet and life. Finally what is left as a solid but liquidy waste product comes out of a cloaca. It is not reffered as an anus because sharks don't have two different openings for reproduction and excretion of the feces.
Shark's digestive system is similar to one of a human, due to the similar organs and their similar purposes. For example sharks as well as humans have an esophagus, a pancreas, a stomach, an intestine and a liver that serve similar functions to the ones in humans. But, of course are different to be able to successfully digest the type of things that sharks eat. The overall track of the food being consumed from the mouth and ending up coming out of the cloaca, is a similar process to the one of humans.
The meal of a shark has to go through this track or organs for the food to be digested fully, with extracting the energy and materials it needs from its food to survive. Shark usually tear up their prey and swallow it. The esophagus helps the food enter the digestive track and doesn't allow the food to go back out of the sharks mouth. Also leads the food into the shark's stomach using a ring of muscle called the sphincter. The stomach takes up about 20% of the sharks length in the inside and is about 10% of it's total body weight. Their stomach contains cells and mucus that aids in the digestion of their food such as meats and bones. In the stomach there are secreting cells that produce hydrochloric acid which breaks down the food. There is also a wall of mucus in the stomach that protects the stomach from digesting itself with the acid. The stomach also is composed of rings of muscles that helps the stomach to mix and move around the the food that's inside. Another organ that break's down naterials in the digestive track is the Pancreas. The pancreas in this digestive track, contains enzyms to help break down proteins. The pancreas of a shark is very important and physically is very large. The liver serves as a bank that holds many minerals and vitamins that can be used when the shark is low supply of it. Therefore, the pancreas basically keeps the body stabilized and in homeostasis. The liver is also made of oils that allows the sharks buoyancy to be greater. Then the food goes through the intestine which is comparibly much shorter than in humans. There are three different intestinal valves can be found in different sharks. The ring valve, can be found in great white sharks which allow the maximum absorbency of nutrients and allow the shark to live their high energy diet and life. Finally what is left as a solid but liquidy waste product comes out of a cloaca. It is not reffered as an anus because sharks don't have two different openings for reproduction and excretion of the feces.