Morphology of the gastrointestinal tract in primates : Comparisons with other mammals in relation to diet

International audiencelnterspecific comparisons are developed by allowing for allometric factors. ln faunivores , in which fermentation is minimal, the volume of stomach and large intestine is related to actual body size, whereas these chambers are more voluminous in larger frugivores and mid-gut fermenting foli vores; fore-gut fermenters show a marked decrease in capacity with increasing body size. Surface area for absorption are related to metabolic body size, directly so in frugivores; area for absorption is relatively less in larger faunivores and more in larger folivores , especially those with large stomachs. Indices of gut specialization are derived from these regressions by nonlinear transformation, with references to the main functional features of capacity for fermentation and surface area for absorption