The secret of quick digestion of crocodiles

2008/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Zoologia

Animals of the order crocodilia, gabiales, aligatores and crocodiles, are able to send directly to the stomach oxygen-free blood that reaches the heart to help quickly digest the portions of meat. At the University of Utah they have shown that they are able to do so and that carbon-dioxide rich blood helps faster digestion, as some stomach glands need carbon dioxide to produce gastric acids. In one experiment, several crocodiles cut the way from the heart to the stomach and saw that digestion was much slower than other crocodiles.