Digestive System:
Food moves from the mouth to the esophagus and then the stomach, which breaks down the food into a liquid. The food then passes through to the pancreas, which adds enzymes that help digest carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, plus sodium bicarbonate to help neutralize the stomach acid. Most of the digestion and nutrient absorption occurs in the small intestine, where more enzymes and mucus are added. After absorbing water from the remnants of digestion, the large intestine moves the feces to the anus where they are released from the body. Skeletal/muscular system: The skeletal/muscular system protects the fox’s organs. The fox’s skeleton like the ribs or rib cage protect the heart and lungs. All the other bones protect veins and other parts of the Circulatory System. There are three types of muscles; skeletal, smooth, and cardiac. The skeletal muscles are attached to the bone by tendons, which allow them to pull on the bone, which acts like a lever. The smooth muscles are in the lungs, veins, and arteries. The cardiac muscles are found in the heart and they contract automatically to squeeze the walls of the heart inward. If the fox lifts its leg, their bones are attached through tendons, which allow them to pull on the bone, which lifts the leg up. One muscle pulls the bone in one direction and the other pulls it in the opposite direction causing movement at the joint. |
Respiratory System The respiratory anatomy of the fox is exactly like that of a dog. Breathing is achieved by the contractions of intercostal muscles associated with the rib cage and the diaphragm. The diaphragm separates the chest, which contains the heart and lungs, from the abdomen. During inhalation, the diaphragm expands toward the abdomen, causing a change in pressure, and also pulling air and oxygen into the lungs as they inflate. When the muscle contracts it puts pressure on the lungs and causes expulsion of air from the fox body, also known as exhalation. The respiratory system is composed of the nares (nostrils), nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx (voice box), trachea, bronchi, and the lungs. Foxes have two lungs that are subdivided into lobes. Air is inhaled through the mouth or nasal cavity and travels into the trachea. From the trachea air enters two bronchi, which lead into the lungs. Inside the lungs, there is freshly oxygenated, and depleted, or stale, air. The bronchi further divide from there into tubes, called bronchioles, which end in alveoli. Alveoli are where blood exchanges oxygen, carbon dioxide ect With the lungs. Communication of the Arctic Fox : The voice of the arctic fox is rarely heard except during their breeding season. Courting foxes communicate with a barking yowl. Adult foxes also yelp to warn their whelps, or pups, of danger and give a high-pitched whine when disputing territorial claims with nearby foxes. |
Nervous System:
Arctic foxes have five sense organs which are the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. These five sense organs are all comprised of different receptors. The eyes have light receptors, the ears have ‘balance’ and sound receptors, the nose has taste and smell receptors, the tongue has taste receptors, and the skin has touch, pressure, and temperature receptors. Arctic foxes have a central nervous system which consists of the brain and spinal cord only. This is where the sensory information is sent and also where actions and reflexes are coordinated. Neurons are an important part of the nervous system. There are three types of neurons which are the sensory neurons, relay neurons, and the motor neurons. The sensory neurons control all of the body’s stimuli. The relay neuron helps the brain and spinal cord function and the motor neuron helps both glands and muscles function. Circulatory System:
The fox’s circulatory system enables the transport of nutrients to various parts of the body. It transports oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and chemicals to tissue, and carries waste and carbon dioxide away from tissue. The circulatory system also helps to regulate body temperature, and to maintain osmolarity and ion balance of the blood and body. It is composed of arteries, arterioles, veins, venules, and capillaries. The arteries are blood vessels that carry the oxygenated blood from the heart to various parts of the body. The veins carry from the body towards the heart, and their size and volume vary with changes in blood pressure. Capillaries are the smallest of the blood vessels in the body and they lie between the arterioles and venules. They allow for the exchange of materials between the blood and the tissues including: oxygen, carbon dioxide, water, waste products, sodium and potassium, and nutrients. |