Both the small intestine and large intestine are a part of the alimentary canal or esophageal tract in the human body. They predominantly perform functions of assimilation and ingestion of food and other supplements. In general, the alimentary canal comprises these parts: mouth, pharynx, throat, stomach, small digestive system, large intestine, and the rectum, which is the outer opening of the anus.

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Small intestine vs large intestine

What is The Small Intestine?

The small intestine is the longest piece of the nutritious trench, which contains a few different tubes like throat, pharynx, and large intestine. The name authored 'little' for this tube-like structure is a result of its width, which is around 3.5 to 4.5 cm. This tube has a length of around, 4.5 to 7m, the food going through the stomach goes through this small intestine with the end goal of far-reaching absorption. In the event that it is about assimilation and ingestion of food, which is the primary capacity of both the small and large intestines are related to, at that point, the small digestive tract has more to do like 90% of the entire processing and retention of food happens here. The remaining 10% happens in the large intestine and stomach. The food particles in the wake of going through the small intestine at that point enter the large intestine. As the small intestine is wound in the midsection, it has two kinds of ingrowths; roundabout folds and villi, which paces down the movement of food due to which the food stays for a longer period of time in the small intestine when contrasted with the large intestine. The small intestine fundamentally includes three sections; duodenum, jejunum, and ileum.

What is Large Intestine?

The large intestine is the last piece of the alimentary canal in the human body, which begins from the mouth and finishes through the anus. The most essential function related with the large intestine is the assimilation and retention of food as it is connected with the small intestine, but the significant function it needs to perform is the ingestion of water from the reaming inedible food and the creation of nutrient B and nutrient K from the microorganisms living in there. The Large digestive tract is the last stop, which comes after the food goes through the small digestive tract. The name 'enormous' for this digestive tract is a result of its broadness; it has a distance across from around 4 to 6 cm. Then again, it is very short when contrasted with the small digestive system; it gauges around 1.5m. In contrast to the small digestive tract, villi and roundabout folds are missing in it. The large intestine essentially includes these parts: cecum, colon, rectum, and butt-centric waterway. The rectum is the last stop before the waste material or excrement is killed from the human body through the butt-centric waterway.

Key Points:

The small digestive system is the longest piece of the nutritious channel, which has a length of around 4.5 to 7m and a width of around 3.5 to 4.5 cm. Then again, Large Intestine is the last piece of the Alimentary canal, which has a length of around 1.5m and a width of around 4 to 6cm.

90% of the entire processing and retention of food occurs in the small digestive tract, while the significant capacities large intestine needs to perform are the assimilation of water from the reaming inedible food and the creation of nutrient B and nutrient K from the microbes living in there.

The small digestive system for the most part contains three sections; duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, while the large intestine basically involves these parts: cecum, colon, rectum, and anus.

Villi and round folds are available in the small digestive tract while they are missing in the large intestine.

Difference between Small and Large Intestine

Small Intestine	Large Intestine
The small intestine is a part of the digestive system that runs between the stomach and large intestine	The large intestine is the terminal part of the intestine that is wider and shorter than the small intestine
The small intestine is longer than large intestine	It is shorter than the small intestine
It is narrower than the large intestine	It is wider than the small intestine
The three components of the small intestine are duodenum, jejunum and ileum	Colon, cecum, rectum and anal canal are the components of the large intestine
It exhibits small movements in the abdominal cavity	The large intestine is fixed or shows very less mobility
It is responsible for the absorption of nutrients from the digested food	It takes part in the absorption of electrolytes and water and in the production of vitamins.
The longitudinal muscles are arranged in circular layers	The longitudinal muscles are arranged in three bands known as Teniae Colie
Composed of Villi in the internal surface	Lacks Villi
Involved in digestion	Not involved in digestion

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FAQs on Difference Between Small Intestine and Large Intestine

1. What are the functions of villi?

The small intestine contains small finger-like projections of tissue called villi which increase the surface area of the intestine and contain specialized cells that transport substances into the bloodstream. Although these villi do not aid in the digestion of nutrients, they do help with nutrient absorption. The cells of the villi and another part of the small intestine, known as the crypts, transport food from the digestive tract into the bloodstream, where they can be used by the body. The villi aid in absorption by increasing the surface area of the intestine and contain specialized cells which transport different types of nutrients into the blood.

2. Why do herbivores have a longer small intestine than carnivores?

Herbivores evolved the longest digestive systems, so that the plant matter stays in their system long enough to get digested to the highest level possible. That’s why omnivores have mid length digestive tracts, they evolved to get more nutrition from plant matter than carnivores. That’s why carnivores have the shortest, they focus on eating meat and other animal-based food sources like eggs, they digest the easiest and get a lot from them with little effort in terms of nutrition.