Small and Large Intestines

Once the stomach has performed its part of the process and absorbed as much of the food as it can it passes the ingesta on to the

small intestine, which in turn passes it to the large intestine (Stevens 2008). While the ingesta travels through the small intestine the

majority of what will be absorbed in the entire digestive process is absorbed (Stevens 2008). The nearly twenty foot long tubes of the small

intestine are lined with a permeable layer that will allow carbohydrates and proteins to be absorbed by the organism and subsequently

transported wherever they are needed in the body (Parsons 2008). Beyond the fermentation of small amounts of cellulose-based

organic material in the caecum the large intestine serves to transport waste to the anus where it can be expelled (Wolin 1981).

Please email Brian McRae at Davidson College with any questions.

This website was created as a part of a class project in the Animal Physiology Class at Davidson College.