Structures for Growth in Animals

Key Concepts

• Structures
• Structures responsible for growth
• Process of growth
• Teeth and tongue
• Beak
• Stomach
• Small and large intestine

Introduction: 

We know that a structure is a part of the body of an organism. These structures perform different functions in an animal to meet its need in an environment. These structures also help an animal to obtain food and grow. 

Explanation: 

Animals require energy in order to grow. They obtain this energy from the food that they eat. The food they eat can be transformed into usable energy for cells or can be used to build new cells, which then form tissues like skin and muscle. 

Thereby the energy obtained from food is used for forming organs and the entire animal. 

The process of growth involves various steps like: 

• Eating food 
• Breaking down food through digestion 

• Absorbing nutrients from food 
• B uilding tissue 

The external and internal structures that are involved in the above process lead to the growth of an animal. 

An animal has different structures for the different steps involved in growth. Some structures are for eating food, some help in digestion, some in absorbtion and some form new tissues. 

Structures that help in eating: 

Animals have various structures that help them chew or break their food. These structures depend on the environment of the animal and the type of food that it eats. Some animals have teeth to crush their food, while some have beaks. Some animals use their tongue to grasp their food. Let us study each of these structures in detail. 

Teeth: 

Teeth are found in most animals, including humans. They help to crush food and break it into smaller pieces. Every animal has a different diet depending on its environment. Some animals eat plants, some eat other animals, some feed on fruits, nuts etc. 

Herbivore animals are those who only feed on the producers, i.e., plants (grass, leaves, fruits, seede, etc). Such animals do not have sharp teeth. Deer, cow, elephant, rabbits, etc., are examples of herbivores. 

Carnivore animals are flesh-eating animals. They feed on the herbivores to meet their food requirements.  Carnivores have sharp teeth that help them to tear the flesh easily. Examples of carnivores include lions, tigers, bears, etc. 

Animals need various internal and external structures in order to survive in their environment. 

These structures can include the limbs, heart, brain, claws, fins, horns, etc. 

Tongue: 

Some animals use their tongue to grab food. The tongue also helps to generate saliva, which helps in the digestion of food. Animals have different shapes of tongues based on the food they eat.  

Animals like chameleons or frogs have a long tongue which they can stretch out to catch prey. 

Other animals like giraffes have thick tongues that help them to grab leaves on the tree. 

Beaks: 

Birds have beaks instead of teeth which helps them catch insects or break open seeds. The beaks come in different shapes and sizes based on the food that the birds eat. 

Some birds have small beaks which help them eat fruit or seeds. Some birds like eagles have a sharp and hooked beak that helps them eat flesh. Some birds like the pelican have a large beak that helps them catch fish. 

Stomach: 

 

Stomach is an internal organ. It helps in the digestion of food that the animals eat. The stomach is a J shaped organ and stores food to digest it later. It is situated in the upper abdomen. During the process of digestion, the food is broken down into smaller pieces. Some chemical reactions taking place in the stomach converts the crushed food into nutrients. 

Small intestine and large intestine: 

The crushed food from the stomach goes into the small intestine, where more chemical reactions take place. These reactions convert the food into nutrients that can be transported to the blood. 

The blood vessels absorb these nutrients from the wall of the small intestine and stomach. The waste and excess water is passed on to the large intestine and eliminated from our body through the anus. 

The excess water is reabsorbed from the large intestine. 

Summary

• A structure is a part of the body of an organism.
• These structures perform different functions in an animal to meet its need in an wironment.
• Animals require energy for their growth which they obtain from food.
• The food they eat can be transformed into usable energy for cells or can be used to ba new cells, which then form tissues like skin and muscle.
• The external and internal structures that are involved in the above process lead to the growth of an animal.
• Animals have various structures that help them chew/break their food.
• These structures depend on the environment of the animal and the type of food that it eats.
• Some animals, like mammals, including humans, have teeth to crush their food.
• Some animals like the frog or chameleon use their tongue to grasp their food.
• Birds use their beaks to catch insects, eat fruits, seeds, fish, etc.
• After the animals eat their food, the stomach helps to digest this food to produce nutrients.
• The food further gets digested and converted to nutrients in the small intestine.
• These nutrients get absorbed into the blood and provide the energy required to grow
• The large intestine eliminates the waste through the anus.