1. ANATOMY OF THE
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

2. Mouth and throat
Food is chewed and travels down the pharynx and
through the esophagus
Contains the following:
 Salivary glands
 Teeth
 Tongue
 Hard palate
 Soft palate
 Uvula
 epiglottis

3. Salivary Glands
 Include the parotid
gland, sublingual gland,
and submandibular
gland.
 Secrete saliva (mixture
of water, enzymes, and
mucin)
 Moistens food
 Enzymes within saliva
begin the chemical
break down of food.

4. Teeth
 Tear, chop, and grind
food for swallowing.
 Mechanical digestion
 Front teeth and
“canines” are used
to tear into tough
food
 Flat molars grind
grains and plant
matter

5. Tongue
 Moves food around
while chewing and
mixes it
 Contains taste buds

6. Hard Palate
 Roof of the mouth
 Covered by a
mucous membrane
 Made of bone

7. Soft Palate
 Behind hard palate
 Made up of
muscular fibers
 Covered by a
mucous membrane
 Closes off nasal
passage when food
is being swallowed

8. Uvula
 Stops food from entering
the nasal cavity when
being swallowed

9. Epiglottis
 Prevents food from
entering trachea

10. Esophagus
Large tube that connects pharynx to the
stomach. Peristalsis occurs, and pushes food
down throat.
Contains:
 Upper esophageal sphincter
 Lower esophageal sphincter

11. Upper Esophageal Sphincter
 Found below
intersection of
the throat and
esophagus
 Relaxes to let
food enter
esophagus

12. Lower Esophageal Sphincter
 Located above the
connection between
the esophagus and
stomach
 Relaxes to let food into
stomach
 Keeps stomach’s
contents from pushing
back into the
esophagus

13. Stomach Area
 Muscular and expandable
 Holds, digests, and removes nutrients from food
 Turns food into chyme
Contains the following:
 Pyloric Sphincter
 Gastric Folds
 Muscular Walls
 Greater Curvature
 Lesser Curvature
 Liver
 Gallbladder
 Pancreas

14. Pyloric Sphincter
 Forms valve in
between stomach
and intestine
 Controls passage of
food to small
intestine

15. Gastric Folds
 Increase surface
area
 Help with digestion

16. Muscular Walls
 Squeeze and
expand stomach
 Helps churn food

17. Greater Curvature
 Curve along lower edge of stomach

18. Lesser Curvature
 Curve along the upper edge of the stomach

19. Liver
 Body’s largest
gland
 Accessory organ
 Detoxifies blood
 Creates bile

20. Gallbladder
 Collects, stores, and
concentrates bile from
liver

21. Pancreas
 Located behind
stomach
 Produces insulin
 Enzymes secreted
help digest food
 Insulin regulates
sugar in blood

22. Intestines
 Small Intestine:
1. Duodenum
2. Jejunum
3. Ileum
 Large Intestine:
1. Ascending Colon
2. Transverse Colon
3. Descending Colon
4. Rectum
5. Anus

23. Duodenum
 First piece of the
small intestine
 Receives secretions
from the liver and
pancreas
 Most of where
chemical digestion
takes place

24. Jejunum
 Middle portion of the small intestine

25. Ileum
 Last piece of small intestine
 Rest of nutrients are absorbed and used for the
body

26. Ascending Colon
 First portion of large
intestine
 Located on the right
side of the body
 Extracts remaining
moisture from food

27. Transverse Colon
 Connects ascending and descending colon
 Sits horizontally on top of small intestine

28. Descending Colon
 Found on left side of body
 Stores stool

29. Rectum
 Sits above anal
canal
 Stores feces before
defecation

30. Anus
 External opening
of rectum
 Expels fecal
matter