The Herbivore, Omnivore and Carnivore
The Herbivore: The herbivore is an organism which only feeds off plants or produces and does not at any point consume any meat. Examples of herbivore's are the elephant, koala and kangaroo.
The Omnivore: The omnivore is a cross over between herbivore and carnivore. This type of animal can survive on either the plants or the other animals. Examples of the omnivore include bears, squirrels and hedgehogs.
The Carnivore: The carnivore is the complete opposite of the herbivore. It only eats meat and cannot eat anything that is a plant. Examples of carnivore is the lion, leopard and cheetah.
The Omnivore: The omnivore is a cross over between herbivore and carnivore. This type of animal can survive on either the plants or the other animals. Examples of the omnivore include bears, squirrels and hedgehogs.
The Carnivore: The carnivore is the complete opposite of the herbivore. It only eats meat and cannot eat anything that is a plant. Examples of carnivore is the lion, leopard and cheetah.
Food Webs/Chains
he above diagram is a food chain. This displays the platypus, freshwater shrimp and algae. The producer for this food chain is the algae and the shrimp consumes the algae making it be the primary consumer. The secondary consumer for this food chain is the platypus as it feeds off the shrimp.
When drawing a food chain, it is essential to make sure that the direction of the arrows is correct. When joining the two different organism's, put the arrow head facing the one that is being consumed. For example, in this diagram, the arrow head is facing algae. The algae is being eaten by the shrimp.
In a food chain, an impact on one species can affect the other species in the food chain. If there was a lack of algae in a certain habitat, the shrimp would not have enough food to survive on and so their numbers would reduce, This reduction of shrimp reduces the amount of food that the platypus can eat.
When drawing a food chain, it is essential to make sure that the direction of the arrows is correct. When joining the two different organism's, put the arrow head facing the one that is being consumed. For example, in this diagram, the arrow head is facing algae. The algae is being eaten by the shrimp.
In a food chain, an impact on one species can affect the other species in the food chain. If there was a lack of algae in a certain habitat, the shrimp would not have enough food to survive on and so their numbers would reduce, This reduction of shrimp reduces the amount of food that the platypus can eat.
The Food Chain:
The food chain or web (shown above) is a diagram which describes the producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer and territory for given habitat's. In the above food web, the platypus is the territory animals. The producer for this habitat is the algae/water weed, detritus and bacteria. This is eaten by the shrimp, snail's, water boatman, larvae and water flea. These organisms are called primary consumer's. The organisms which eat the above listed organisms are secondary consumer's. These include dragonfly's, beetle's, spider and other shrimp.
Producer: The producer is normally a plant. A producer does not need to obtain it's own food as it only need's sunlight to receive the nutrients it needs.
Primary Consumer: A primary consumer is the organism that will eat a producer to obtain it's nutrient and energy level. A primary consumer will be a herbivore as it will feed off plant's.
Secondary Consumer: A secondary consumer is named as it consumes the primary consumer for it's nutrients. The secondary consumer can be either a omnivore or carnivore.
Territory: The territory animal is what is at the top of the food chain for a specific habitat or area. In the streams and lakes where a platypus is found, it is a territory animal because it feeds off both the secondary and primary consumer's for it's food supply. The platypus is a carnivore as it hunts for the smaller organisms.
The food chain or web (shown above) is a diagram which describes the producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer and territory for given habitat's. In the above food web, the platypus is the territory animals. The producer for this habitat is the algae/water weed, detritus and bacteria. This is eaten by the shrimp, snail's, water boatman, larvae and water flea. These organisms are called primary consumer's. The organisms which eat the above listed organisms are secondary consumer's. These include dragonfly's, beetle's, spider and other shrimp.
Producer: The producer is normally a plant. A producer does not need to obtain it's own food as it only need's sunlight to receive the nutrients it needs.
Primary Consumer: A primary consumer is the organism that will eat a producer to obtain it's nutrient and energy level. A primary consumer will be a herbivore as it will feed off plant's.
Secondary Consumer: A secondary consumer is named as it consumes the primary consumer for it's nutrients. The secondary consumer can be either a omnivore or carnivore.
Territory: The territory animal is what is at the top of the food chain for a specific habitat or area. In the streams and lakes where a platypus is found, it is a territory animal because it feeds off both the secondary and primary consumer's for it's food supply. The platypus is a carnivore as it hunts for the smaller organisms.
The Digestive System
The digestive system is the system which successfully extracts nutrients and excretes waste. Their are numerous vital organs making up the entire system. These are the oesophagus, liver, stomach, gallbladder, pancreas, duodenum, transverse, small intestine, large intestine, appendix, rectum and anus. Each of these do an important job for extracting or filtering the nutrients. Surprisingly, research has shown that the platypus does not have one of the main organs in the digestive system. This is the stomach.
There are two theories as to why the platypus does not have a stomach:
There are two theories as to why the platypus does not have a stomach:
- A loss of genes through the generations due to the fact that the platypus is able to finely macerate its food so that there is no need for the hydrochloric acid in the stomach. (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2008/05/15/a-genetic-gastric-bypass/#.UpKI5dLimSo)
- The gastro-intestinal tract is larger at one point making that a stomach. This is most likely the reason as to why the platypus has a higher metabolic rate. - this information is not as common as the other theory. (http://www.sciences360.com/index.php/eating-habits-of-the-platypus-2-19451/
Alimentary Canal:
The alimentary canal or digestive tract is the tube which passes from the mouth to the anus. The function of the alimentary canal is to absorb nutrients and dispose of waste. This canal encompasses all of the digestive system organs and is just another way to say all the organs in the digestive system.
Below are some descriptions of some of the organs:
The alimentary canal or digestive tract is the tube which passes from the mouth to the anus. The function of the alimentary canal is to absorb nutrients and dispose of waste. This canal encompasses all of the digestive system organs and is just another way to say all the organs in the digestive system.
Below are some descriptions of some of the organs:
Mouth/Bill:
The bill of the platypus is where the platypus macerates its food. When the platypus hunts, it collects up mud and stones to macerate the food. Plates in the bill also help with this. While the platypus hunts, it stores it's food in some cheek pouches so that it can deal with the food later on when at the surface. 
Esophagus:
The esophagus is the tube which food runs down to get inside the stomach but, since the platypus does not have a stomach, the esophagus just leads straight into the small intestine. 
Stomach:
As discussed above, the platypus does not need the process used by many other mammals that allows them to digest food properly. When food is digested in the stomach, little flaps on the inside make the stomach into a kind of washer which with the help of hydrochloric acid and enzyme's helps turn the food into a substance called chyme. |
Small Intestine:
The small intestine plays its major role by absorbing any nutrients in the food that we eat. The small intestine has a length of 20 feet but it is only an inch thick. 
Large Intestine:
The job of the large intestine is to absorb any fluid in the food and then excrete out the rest of the waste into the rectum. 
Rectum/Anus:
Both the Rectum and Anus are the last part of the digestive system. The job of the rectum is to act as a kind of storage for any of the feces. The Anus is basically what controls the flow of the feces outside of the body. The Anus also has a sphincter (muscle) that helps to control the flow of faeces. 
Liver:
The liver one of the largest organs in the body, the first being the skin as it is heavier. The liver plays a major role as it filters out the toxins such as drugs and alcohol from the bloodline. The liver also produces Bile which helps to breakdown the fats. |
Order/Process:
The process of the digestive system happens in a direct order. It starts with the mouth. It ravels down through the esophagus and lands in the stomach but because the platypus does not have a stomach, it continues down into the small intestine. After traveling through this, the remaining waste continues into the large intestine where water and fluid is absorbed. This last bit of waste/feces starts to collect in the rectum until it is expelled through the anus.
The process of the digestive system happens in a direct order. It starts with the mouth. It ravels down through the esophagus and lands in the stomach but because the platypus does not have a stomach, it continues down into the small intestine. After traveling through this, the remaining waste continues into the large intestine where water and fluid is absorbed. This last bit of waste/feces starts to collect in the rectum until it is expelled through the anus.
Villi
The Villi is the specialized cell in the digestive system. The villi is made of many blood capillaries that help to get the blood flow through them. The villi is attached to the small intestine. It is believed that if all these Villi were able to be put together, the surface area would cover the size of a tennis court. The function of the villi is to help increase the rate of absorption of the nutrients in the food. This is possible because of the rate of blood flow traveling through the villi.
