Fish anatomy : The Digestive Tract However not all fish have all these parts, some, like
all fish have all these parts, some, like many of the
As with all animals digestion in fish involves the breakdown of
eaten food into its smaller component parts, amino acids, vitamins,
fatty acids etc. which can then be used to build up new fish body.
The breaking apart or breaking down of the eaten material is
called anabolism, the building up of new material is
called catabolism and these two together make up the whole
of metabolism.
As anybody who has watched a gold fish knows quite well fish eat
and defecate. Like all animals the fish's body is basically a long tube
that is twisted up on itself a bit in the middle and has a layer of
muscles and ancillary organs around it. This tube has the mouth at
one end and the anus or cloaca at the other. Mostly we consider the
mouth to be the entrance to the tube and the anus to be the exit, food
items come in and faeces go out. Different things happen in different
parts of the tube and for the sake of study and understanding we give
the various parts names.
Mouth - Pharynx - Oesophagus - Gizzard - Stomach -
Intestines - Rectum.
Cyprinids and Cyprinidonts, lack a stomach, while a gizzard is only
found in a relatively few species.
Anatomia sistemului digestiv al pestilor
Ca i n cazul celorlalte animale digestia petilor implic
descompunerea alimentelor consumate n componente mai mici,
aminoacizi, vitamine, acizi grai etc., care pot fi apoi folosite pentru
a construi energia necesar meninerii sntii. O a doua sfrmare,
n afar de cea iniial a materialului mncat este numit
anabolismul, construirea unor noi materiale se numete catabolism i
acestea dou mpreun alctuiesc ntregul metabolism.
Oricine a vzut un pete auriu a putut observa c acesta mnnc
i de asemenea defecheaz. Asemntor celorlalte animale aparatul
digestiv al petilor este reprezentat de un tub lung, puin rsucit la
jumtate, prezint un strat mucular i organe anexe. Acest tub are
gura pozitionata la extremitatea rostral i cloaca la cea caudal. n
majoritatea cazurilor considerm ca gura este locul prin care intr
alimentele iar anusul locul prin care ies. n diferitele pari ale tubului
digestiv au loc procese diferite care, de dragul studiului le vom
enumera.
 Gura- Faringele Esofagul Pipota- Stomacul Intestinele-
Rectul
Oricum, nu toi petii au toate aceste pri; multe dintre specii nu
le au, cum ar fi Ciprinidele i petii din ordinul Cyprinidontes crora
le lipsete un stomac, n timp ce pipota se ntlnete la cateva specii.
The Mouth
Food is brought into the body via the mouth, and the jaws of
modern teleost fish are a mechanical wonder, and the way the many
bones work together is quite inspiring. However there is, as always a
large variety in fish as a whole and the mouths of a Basking Shark, a
Yellowfin Tuna and a Seahorse are quite different in both form and
function. Lips are rare in fish, most species have a hard edge to their
mouth. Some suction feeders that take in small prey items have
small protractible lips that help give the mouth the form of a tube
with a circular opening.
The tongue of fish is generally very simple, being a thick, horny
and immovably pad in the lower jaw which may often be decorated
with small teeth. In fish the tongue is not necessary for the
manipulation of food as it is in terrestrial animals because the food
items remain up by the water and can be moved threw the mouth
adequately by control of the water flow and the placement of the
teeth. The tongues of the Sharks and Rays (Elasmobranchs)are a
little more movable. However the tongues of Hagfish and Lampreys
are armed with teeth and highly movable. However the musculature
behind this movability is quite different in the two groups.
The teeth of most fish are the fore-runners of vertebrate teeth with
an outer layer of enamel and an inner core of dentine. A fish may
have teeth at the front of its mouth and along the jaws and in the
pharynx as well as on its tongue.
Cavitatea bucal- Gura
Prin gur mncarea ajunge in corp, iar flcile de pete teleost
modern sunt o minune mecanic iar modul prin care attea oase
lucreaz mpreun este foarte interesant. In orice caz, exista o larga
varietate a pestilor in ansamblu: gura unui rechin Pelerin, un Ton cu
aripioare galbene i un calu de mare sunt destul de diferite atat n
form ct i n funcionare. Buzele se gsesc rar la peti, majoritatea
petilor au o margine dura a gurii. Cei care se alimenteaz prin
aspiraie i care prind przi mici, au buze retractabile care i ajut s
le dea buzelor o form de tub cu o deschidere circular. Limba unui
pete este, n general, foarte simpl, fiind groas, excitabil i foarte
puin mobil in partea inferioar a mandibulei care poate prezenta
adesea dini mici. Limba nu este necesar petelui pentru prinderea
hranei precum animalele terestre deoarece hrana rmne deasupra
apei i nu poate fi ingerat adecvat, cu ajutorul apei i poziiei
dinilor. Limba rechinilor i razele Elasmobranhiilor se pot mica cu
usurin.
little more movable. However the tongues of Hagfish and Lampreys
are armed with teeth and highly movable. However the musculature
behind this movability is quite different in the two groups.
The teeth of most fish are the fore-runners of vertebrate teeth with
an outer layer of enamel and an inner core of dentine. A fish may
have teeth at the front of its mouth and along the jaws and in the
pharynx as well as on its tongue.
The teeth of Elasmobranchs are simply embedded in the gum, and
not attached to the cartilage that supports the jaw. In fish there is a
continuum stretching from the Paddlefish Polyodon spathula where
the teeth are embedded in the gums and not connected to the jaw
bones at all through a few species like the Pike (Esox lucius)
wherein the teeth are loosely attached to the jaws by means of
fibrous ligaments to the majority of fish which have the
teeth ankylosed, or tightly and immovably bound by fibrous tissue,
to the bones of the jaws etc. In a few species of the Characidae the
teeth are implanted in special sockets of the jaw bones.
Most species of fish, as well as sharks and rays,
have polyphyodont teeth, meaning the teeth are continually
replaced as they wear out or are lost. In the Elasmobranchs the teeth
are arranged in parallel rows situated behind the functional set.
Those teeth waiting to replace lost or damaged teeth lie flat against
the gum and point back into the mouth where they may assist in
preventing food from escaping but take no part in biting. When a
n orice caz, limbile unei Mixine i a unui Chicar sunt armate cu
dini i sunt foarte mobile. n orice caz, musculatura din spatele
acestei mobiliti este destul de diferit n cele dou grupuri.
Dinii multor peti sunt precursori ai dinilor actuali ai vertebratelor
cu un strat exterior de smal i un miez interior de dentin. Un peste
poate avea dinti in fata si in jurul falcilor si deasemenea si in faringe
si pe limba. Dintii unui exemplar din clasa ELasmobranchii sunt
incorporati in in gingie si nu atasati de cartilajul care suporta falca.
n cazul pestelui Spatula dintii sunt incorporati in gingii si nu sunt
conectati la oasele falcilor iar la cateva specii ca Stiuca (Esox lucius)
dintii sunt slab atasati la falci prin intermediul unor ligamente
fibroase care leaga strans dintii la tesutul fibros. La putine specii ale
Characidae ( pestii Tetra) dintii sunt implantati in alveolele speciale
ale oaselor falcilor. Majoritatea speciilor de pesti, cum ar fi rechinii
si speciile de mare au dinti polifiodonte, ceea ce inseamna ca dintii
sunt inlocuiti in mod continuu deoarece se uzeaza sau se pierd. La
Elasmobranchii, dintii sunt aranjati in randuri paralele dupa setul
functional. Acei dinti asteapta sa inlocuiasca dintii deteriorati sau
pierduti, sunt intinsi pe gingie si sunt indreptati spre spatele gurii
unde exista sansa de a asista la prevenirea pierderii mancarii dar nu
au rol in a musca. Cand o masea sau cativa dinti trebuie sa fie
schimbati, gingia se misca inainte, tragand de noul dinte inainte si il
ridica. In pestii adevarati, noul dinte creste ori la baza vechiului
dinte, sau intre dintii vechi atunci cand acesti dinti nu sunt prea
apropiati.
tooth, or some teeth, need to be replaced the gum moves forward
pulling the new teeth both forward and erect. In true fish the new
teeth grow either at the base of the old teeth, or in between the old
teeth when these teeth are not too closely packed. The Holocephali
(Chimaeras) and the Dipnoi/Dipnomorpha (Lungfish) do not replace
their teeth but instead have teeth that are continually growing from
the base.
The buccal cavity (the empty space in an empty mouth) secretes
mucus to aid in the swallowing of food, but there are no special
organs involved, no salivary glands, and this mucus is a lubricant
only, it contains no digestive enzymes such as mammalian saliva
does and is lined with squamous epithelium.
The Pharynx
Immediately behind the mouth is the pharynx which is the
continuation of the tube started at the mouth and in which the are
found the gill clefts, through which water flows out of the
alimentary canal and into the gills. It is short which leads to the
oesophagus. It is lined with squamous epithelium. As I mentioned
above the pharynx may possess teeth, both upper and lower and as
many as 4 rows of them. These pharyngeal teeth may be specialised
for grinding like molars, comb-like for breaking up fine materials of
sharp and pointed for piercing prey, in some species they are even
hinged so that they fold up to allow food to pass and hang down
Holocefai(Himerele) Dipnoi( pestele Salamandra) nu isi
inlocuiesc dintii, dar in schimb au dinti care cresc in mod continuu
de la baza.Cavitatea bucala secreta mucus ca sa ajute la inghitirea
hranei, dar nu sunt implicate organe speciale, nu are glande salivare,
mucusul fiind singurul lubrifiant si nu contine enzime digestive
precum saliva mamiferelor, aceasta fiind captusita cu epiteliu
scvamos.
Faringele
Imediat inapoia gurii se afla faringele care reprezinta continuarea
tubului digestiv, cu portiunea initiala-gura- unde se gasesc
deschiderile branhiilor prin care apa trece din canalul alimentar
direct in branhii. Faringele este scurt si se continua direct cu
esofagul. Este tapetat cu epiteliu scvamos. Dupa cum am mentionat
mai sus de faringe se pot intalni dinti , cate 4 superiori si inferiori.
Acesti dinti faringieni potfi specializati pentru macinare, cum ar fi
molarii-pieptene pentru ruperea materialelor fine iar unele specii au
chiar si unele balamale astfel nct acestea se pliaz pentru a permite
produselor alimentare s treac i s astfel sa impiedice scaparea lor
again afterwards to prevent its escape. For the most part however
pharyngeal teeth seem to have evolved in order to assist in the act of
swallowing food.
The Oesophagus
After the pharynx comes the oesophagus, a muscular tube that leads
to the stomach. It is constructed of two layers of non-striated
muscle, one of which is longitudinal and the other circular, strangely
in some species of fish the longitudinal muscle is the inner layer
while in others the circular muscle is the inner layer. With so many
species generalisations only apply to the majority, there are always
exceptions. The Tench (Tinca tinca) for instance is unusual in having
striated muscle all through the oesophagus and stomach ant into the
intestines. The walls of the anterior portion of the Oesophagus are
lined squamous epithelium while those of the posterior section are
lined with columnar epithelium, the whole contains many mucus
cells, the mucus keeps the food lubricated and helps it to move along
the tube.
The Gizzard
The gizzard is really a highly muscular modification of the first part
of the stomach. Its main purpose is to grind up coarse food items
into smaller pieces thus facilitating their later digestion. In those fish
which have a gizzard, such as Shad, it is the place where digestion
In orice caz, dintii faringeali par a fi evoluat pentru a putea asista la
inghitirea hranei.
Esofagul
Dupa faringe urmeaza esofagul, un tub muscular care ajunge direct
la stomac. Este format din doua straturi de musculatura neteda, din
care unul circular iar celalalt longitudinal, ciudat, cel longitudinal, la
unele specii de pesti este stratul intern, iar la altee stratul circular
este stratul intern. Cu att de multe specii de generalizri se aplic
numai majoritii, exist ntotdeauna excepii. Linul (Tinca tinca), de
exemplu, este neobinuit n a avea muchi striai toate prin esofag si
stomac furnica in intestine. Pereii poriunii anterioare a Esofag sunt
aliniate epiteliu scuamos iar cele ale seciunii posterioare sunt
cptuite cu epiteliu columnar, ansamblul cuprinde mai multe celule
de mucus, mucusul pastreaza alimentele lubrifiate i ajut-l s se
deplaseze de-a lungul tubului.
begins because as well as its muscular activity the gizzard also
secretes digestive enzymes into the food