• perishthethought@lemm.ee
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          2 months ago

          https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-myths/

          The fact is that the platypus’s digestive tract does include a small expanded pouch-like section where one would normally expect a stomach to be located. The platypus’s stomach doesn’t secrete digestive acids or enzymes (Harrop and Hume 1980; Ordoñez et al. 2008), but does produce a mucus-rich fluid to assist nutrient absorption in the intestines (Krause 1971). Following on from the discussion of grinding pads above, it would seem that a platypus masticates food so thoroughly in its mouth that little additional processing is required before food reaches the intestines. Also, because a platypus consumes numerous small prey items over a period of many hours, its stomach doesn’t need to have a large holding capacity to accommodate infrequent large meals.

          Sooo, “gullet”?

        • ouRKaoS
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          2 months ago

          A pseudo-stomach? IDK…

          I think since it’s using bacteria and not acid, it’s not a “stomach”, just performs the same type of function.

    • 100_kg_90_de_belin @feddit.it
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      2 months ago

      Yes, platypuses lost their stomach during evolution, so they basically grind food using gravel and their beak before sending it to the intestine, which has taken on some of the functions performed by stomachs in other animals. Source