{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.022137887413029727, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0056925996204933585, 'mean_word_length': 4.8161764705882355, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
The Machinery of Digestion

This chapter discusses the machinery of digestion in giraffes. The shape of the mouth of giraffes, the shape and number of their teeth, the shape and size of their tongue and the arrangement of the muscles of eating are unique and have evolved to be perfectly suited to the task of browsing. Comminution of browse is eased by large volumes of saliva secreted from salivary glands that relative to body mass are small. The digestive tract of giraffes consists of a rumen, reticulum, and omasum in addition to the usual stomach and intestines found in any mammal. The forestomachs are smaller and the small and large intestines are longer than those of grazer-ruminants. The quality, succulence and consistency of browse reduces the need for prolonged rumination. Movement of browse through the rumen-reticulum is fast, and it is likely that a mixture of plant cell contents and saliva, can bypass the rumen via an esophageal groove, and be deposited directly into the stomach. 40% of daily energy (mainly in the form of volatile fatty acids) is provided by microbial fermentation of browse in the rumen, and 60% derives from intestinal digestion mainly of glucose), rather than the reverse as found in grazer-ruminants. Significant fermentation of undigested fiber (mainly hemicellulose) occurs in the large intestine. The combination of digestive processes results in very efficient use of the nutrients and an apparent digestibility of ~85%, which is high. To provide the browse needed to meet daily energy demand giraffes need a home range of ~60 km2.