Question

A new mammal has been discovered in the thickly-forested mountains of Papua New Guinea. The squirrel-like animal lives in the canopy of the forest and has a diet rich in leaves. On occasion, however, the animal drops to the ground to quickly fill its cheeks with its own fecal droppings, for ingestion once it is safely back in the trees. The GI tract of this animal would most likely include ________. a simple stomach and a large cecum a simple stomach, a short small intestine and colon, and a small cecum a four-chambered stomach and long intestines a long small intestine with abundant villi and an appendix at the beginning of the large intestine a short intestine and no cecum

Answer 1

a simple stomach and a large cecum

Step-by-step explanation:

Some small animals whose diet is prominent in vegetable matter, have an elongated cecum.

This segment of the digestive tract might be considered the first portion of the large intestine. It receives undigested material, and through the action of bacterial flora, is able to ferment this material and mix its contents with mucous substances to facilitate absorption. Through the walls, the organ can absorb fluids, salts, and nutrients.

The cecum size varies according to the animals. In small organisms, such as the new squirrel-like herbivore animal from the example, the cecum is enlarged. An elongated surface is useful for better digestion and absorption.