MediumBiologyHigh School (9–10)GeneralLife Processes › NutritionHuman Body › Digestive SystemConceptual
A cow and a tiger are both about the same size.
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A cow and a tiger are both about the same size. Which of the two has the longer small intestine? Explain, and say what would happen to the cow's food if its intestine were short.
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
Saliva (salivary amylase): starch to sugar. Stomach: hydrochloric acid, pepsin for proteins, mucus. Small intestine: bile emulsifies fats and makes the food alkaline; pancreatic juice has trypsin and lipase; intestinal juice gives amino acids, glucose, and fatty acids with glycerol. Villi absorb the food; the large intestine takes back water.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. Which. The cow has the longer small intestine.
Step 2. Why. Grass has cellulose, which is hard to digest and takes a long time. Meat is easier to digest.
Step 3. If it were short. The grass would pass out before it was fully digested. The cow would absorb much less food from what it eats.
Answer: The cow, because cellulose needs a long time to digest; with a short intestine much of its food would be wasted.
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