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Elephant Alimentary System - Anatomy & Physiology (view source)
Revision as of 22:34, 7 November 2012
, 22:34, 7 November 2012→Introduction
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==Introduction==
Elephant anatomy is very much comparable to the [[Alimentary System - Horse Anatomy|horse]] and [[Rabbit Alimentary System|rabbit]]. Microbes are present in the hindgut that produce [[Volatile Fatty Acids|Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs)]]. VFAs make a substantial contribution to the elephant's total energy requirements. Food has a relatively fast transit time and as a result, elephants have a low digestive efficiency (44% as opposed to 60% in [[Alimentary System - Horse Anatomy|horses]]). A fast transit time is achieved by a short GIT, reduced [[Caecum - Anatomy & Physiology|caecum]] and increased GIT diameter. Their digestive strategy is to pass as large a quantity of low quality food through their digestive tract within a short period of time.
==Features==
An elephant's natural diet is high in fibre (36%) and low in protein (7-10%). Juvenile elephants require 3 kg of feed per 100kg of body weight per day. The passage time of food through the gastrointestinal tract ranges from 18 to 24 hours. They have no [[Gall Bladder - Anatomy & Physiology|gall bladder]] and their taenia and sacculations are not as clearly defined as in the horse.
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[[Category:Alimentary System - Anatomy & Physiology]]
[[Category:Large Intestine - Anatomy & Physiology]]
[[Category:A&P Done]]