The Digestive System of the American Lobster (Homarus americanus)
First the food is gripped and consumed by the many mouths of the lobster.Then it's passed on to the three stomachs that make up the digestive system that are found within the cephalothorax which is the head and thorax. The first stomach is called the foregut and it grinds food into small particles with grinding teeth. So the American lobster actually chews food within the stomach, not the mouth. Next is the second stomach, the midgut, and it is broken down even further by secretions from a gland called the hepatopancreas that continues the digestion of particles. Some of the material is absorbed in the midgut after digestion. The third stomach,which is the hindgut, receives large materials that could not be absorbed in the midgut. From the hindgut, the food goes through the enlarged rectum. Finally the waste is emptied out through the anus which is found at the tip of the tail.
First the food is gripped and consumed by the many mouths of the lobster.Then it's passed on to the three stomachs that make up the digestive system that are found within the cephalothorax which is the head and thorax. The first stomach is called the foregut and it grinds food into small particles with grinding teeth. So the American lobster actually chews food within the stomach, not the mouth. Next is the second stomach, the midgut, and it is broken down even further by secretions from a gland called the hepatopancreas that continues the digestion of particles. Some of the material is absorbed in the midgut after digestion. The third stomach,which is the hindgut, receives large materials that could not be absorbed in the midgut. From the hindgut, the food goes through the enlarged rectum. Finally the waste is emptied out through the anus which is found at the tip of the tail.