Systems
The Respiratory System
The respiratory tract of elephants is composed of the conducting portion
(external nares, nasal tubes, internal nares, pharynx, larynx and trachea) and
the respiratory portion (bronchi, bronchioles, alveolar duct and alveolar sac in
lung). The sound an elephant makes comes from the larynx. The lungs are attached to the thoracic walls and diaphram, destroying the potential pleural space
that normally exists in negative pressure to assist breathing in other mammals. Unlike
most other mammals, elephants rely on intercostals and diaphragmatic muscle
movement alone to inflate and deflate the lungs. If there is an impediment in
the muscular excersion of the key muscles in respiration for the elephant, the
resulting dyspnea is severe. For example, if an elephant lays down for an extended
length of time it will result in an increase abdominal pressure thereby limiting diaphragm motion. Elephants poorly tolerate sternal recumbency and assume lateral recumbency when they lay down.
GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM
An elephant's gastrointestinal system is basically it's digestive tract. The elephant digestive tract includes ( from input to output ) the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small & large intestine, rectum, and anus. Elephants do not have a gall bladder, and only digest and absorb about 44% of what they eat. The remainder of what they eat has to go through a fermentation process in their cecum, which is like a hind gut area. Elephants consume about 150-200 kg. of food and 200 l of water a day.