hindgut

(noun)

The posterior (caudal) part of the alimentary canal. In mammals, it includes the distal third of the transverse colon and the splenic flexure, descending colon, sigmoid colon, and rectum.

Related Terms

Examples of hindgut in the following topics:

  • Development of Metabolism

    • During fetal life, the primitive gut can be divided into three segments: foregut , midgut , and hindgut.
    • The hindgut (or epigaster) is the posterior (caudal) part of the alimentary canal.

  • Genomics and Biofuels

    • For instance, the hindgut contents of nature's own bioreactor, the termite, has yielded more than 500 genes related to the enzymatic deconstruction of cellulose and hemicellulose .
    • The hindgut of the termite has yielded more than 500 genes of microbes related to the enzymatic deconstruction of cellulose.

  • Digestive System Development

    • During fetal life, the primitive gut can be divided into three segments: foregut, midgut, and hindgut.
    • The hindgut includes the last third of the transverse colon, descending colon, rectum, and upper part of the anal canal.

  • Phylum Arthropoda

    • Crustaceans possess green glands while insects use Malpighian tubules, which work in conjunction with the hindgut to reabsorb water while ridding the body of nitrogenous waste.

  • Postganglionic Neurons

    • It travels all the way down to the midgut/hindgut junction, which occurs just before the splenic flexure of the transverse colon.