eworm6c.jpg
Next image      Return to Earthworm Table of Contents       Return to Bio E-Lab Main Menu
Several organ systems are now exposed. The digestive system is a straight tube with a few specialized regions. Note the large, muscular pharynx used to create a sucking action that draws food in. Food then passes though the esophagus into a thin-walled storage organ called the crop. From there the food moves into a food-grinding organ called the gizzard, and then into the intestine where nutrients are absorbed.

Note the large seminal vesicles, where sperm reach maturity.   The dorsal blood vessel is located on the upper surface of the intestine. The dorsal vessel is a collecting tube and pulsates, moving the blood from posterior to anterior.