# Chomp, Gulp... Burp! - Source: StoryWeaver (storyweaver.org.in), CC BY, Pratham Books, StoryWeaver, CC BY 4.0 - Reading level: Grades 1 and 2 - Subjects: Animals, Food, Science - Topics: food, digest, stomachs, swallow, bodies, burp - Length: 337 words, about 2 min - By: Lavanya Karthik - Original: - Page: - Open in Sprouts: Our body needs food to live, move and grow. It breaks food into small pieces that can be swallowed. This is called ingestion. It then removes waste bits and sends the useful parts of the food into the bloodstream. This process is called digestion. The animal world has bodies of all sorts, and each species ingests and digests food in its own way. ![Bee mosquito butterfly against green background](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/storyweaver-chomp-gulp-burp-7367540fd2.jpg) Mosquito · Bee · Butterfly Some sip their food right up. ![Spider and fly against web](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/storyweaver-chomp-gulp-burp-665df459b4.jpg) Spider · Fly Some splash it first, then… slurp! ![Whale and octopus in sea with bird flying above](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/storyweaver-chomp-gulp-burp-f66d8cc5c0.jpg) Bird · Whale · Octopus Some swallow their food whole. ![Monkey bear girl cat giraffe goat yak cow](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/storyweaver-chomp-gulp-burp-0000dddf71.jpg) Monkey · Bear · Human · Cat · Giraffe · Goat · Yak · Cow Some chew before they swallow. Some swallow first, then chew. Some squeeeeze and then… gulp! Boa constrictor Some have one stomach. Some have two. Elephant ![Jellyfish and trichoplax under the sea](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/storyweaver-chomp-gulp-burp-e2d130d20f.jpg) Jellyfish · Trichoplax Some have none. ![Lion and mouse against red background](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/storyweaver-chomp-gulp-burp-c2e4ef169b.jpg) Lion · Mouse Some digest food quickly. Some work slowly. Some are even s-l-o-w-e-r… Sloth and some are very fast. Shark Which one is the strongest? **Burp!** Crocodile **Butterflies**, **bees** and **mosquitos** only drink liquid food. **Spiders** splash their prey with special juices that dissolve their bodies, making them easier to digest. Some **birds** swallow small stones that help grind food down in a part of their stomachs. **Boas** and **pythons** swallow their prey whole. Then their bodies secrete juices that digest the food completely. **Bees** have two stomachs — one to digest food and one to store nectar in. Meat is digested faster than plant fibre. That is why **lions** digest food faster than **mice**. **Chew, Swallow, Burp!** **Cows** have four chambers in their stomachs to help them store food. The food is then brought back up for chewing. **Goats** and **horses** have three chambers in their stomachs in which food collects and ferments. **Sloths** have three chambers in their stomachs too, and can take up to two weeks to digest a meal of leaves. **Sharks** have very strong stomach acids and enzymes that speedily dissolve the food they eat. **Crocodiles** have a unique combination of strong teeth, powerful stomach juices and stones that they ingest to grind food in their stomachs. ## Picture credits - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 () - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 () - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 () - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 () - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 () - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 () - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 () - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 () - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 () - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 () - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 () - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 () - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 () - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 () - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 () - Lavanya Karthik, CC BY 4.0 ()