Introduction
Humans and sharks have different digestive systems in order to suit what they eat. Humans are omnivores which means they eat a variety of either animals, plants or both. On the other hand, sharks are carnivores which means they only eat meat. Another factor that dictates what they eat is the environment they live in. Humans live in a human habitat and sharks live in an aquatic habitat. Over time, both humans and sharks have learned how to adapt to their environment. Humans have evolved to exist under different living conditions, and in doing so their digestive system has also changed in order to suit their habitat and diet. Likewise, sharks have evolved as they can adjust their internal temperature to live in various water conditions. …show more content…
The human mouth is composed of teeth, tongue and salivary glands. There are various types of teeth in order to mechanically digest food different types of food. These include incisors, flat with sharp edges, canines, sharp and pointed, and molars, cusps on teeth. The salivary glands produce saliva and the enzymes in the saliva contribute to the breaking down of food through chemical digestion. Similarly, the sharks mouth is composed of teeth and tongue, but sharks do not have salivary glands. Since sharks’ swallow food as a whole or as large pieces, very little mechanical digestion happens in the mouth. So, the teeth and tongue are basically useless regarding the digestive aspect of a …show more content…
This occurs in both humans and sharks. A difference that separates a shark’s intestine from the human’s intestine, is that it is shorter. An average human’s small intestine is 8 metres, while a shark’s is only 30cm.
Large Intestine
Humans have a continuation of the small intestine, the large intestine, but sharks do not. The major function of the large intestine in a human, is to absorb water from the remaining indigestible food and move the waste material from the body via the cloaca, which is an opening where waste is disposed of.
Accessory Organs
Accessory organs are organs that are in the immediate digestive tract. These include, in both humans and sharks, the liver, gallbladder and pancreas. A human liver’s main function is to produce bile and convert the food nutrients into energy, then distributing it throughout the body. However, a shark’s liver main function is to produce oil. The oil adds to the buoyancy of a shark. Next, is the gallbladder, which in both humans and sharks, stores what the liver produces. So, for sharks it stores oil and for humans it stores bile. Lastly, the pancreas produces and secretes enzymes and
Humans and sharks have different digestive systems in order to suit what they eat. Humans are omnivores which means they eat a variety of either animals, plants or both. On the other hand, sharks are carnivores which means they only eat meat. Another factor that dictates what they eat is the environment they live in. Humans live in a human habitat and sharks live in an aquatic habitat. Over time, both humans and sharks have learned how to adapt to their environment. Humans have evolved to exist under different living conditions, and in doing so their digestive system has also changed in order to suit their habitat and diet. Likewise, sharks have evolved as they can adjust their internal temperature to live in various water conditions. …show more content…
The human mouth is composed of teeth, tongue and salivary glands. There are various types of teeth in order to mechanically digest food different types of food. These include incisors, flat with sharp edges, canines, sharp and pointed, and molars, cusps on teeth. The salivary glands produce saliva and the enzymes in the saliva contribute to the breaking down of food through chemical digestion. Similarly, the sharks mouth is composed of teeth and tongue, but sharks do not have salivary glands. Since sharks’ swallow food as a whole or as large pieces, very little mechanical digestion happens in the mouth. So, the teeth and tongue are basically useless regarding the digestive aspect of a …show more content…
This occurs in both humans and sharks. A difference that separates a shark’s intestine from the human’s intestine, is that it is shorter. An average human’s small intestine is 8 metres, while a shark’s is only 30cm.
Large Intestine
Humans have a continuation of the small intestine, the large intestine, but sharks do not. The major function of the large intestine in a human, is to absorb water from the remaining indigestible food and move the waste material from the body via the cloaca, which is an opening where waste is disposed of.
Accessory Organs
Accessory organs are organs that are in the immediate digestive tract. These include, in both humans and sharks, the liver, gallbladder and pancreas. A human liver’s main function is to produce bile and convert the food nutrients into energy, then distributing it throughout the body. However, a shark’s liver main function is to produce oil. The oil adds to the buoyancy of a shark. Next, is the gallbladder, which in both humans and sharks, stores what the liver produces. So, for sharks it stores oil and for humans it stores bile. Lastly, the pancreas produces and secretes enzymes and