Nature Example
🪱

4. The Small Intestine

This is a very, very long, coiled tube. It's not called 'small' because it's short, but because it's narrow.

Its job is to:

Absorb all the tiny, useful nutrients from the food mush into your blood. This is where your body gets its energy!

💡 Fun Facts

  • If you stretched out an adult's small intestine, it would be about 6 or 7 metres long – that's longer than a giraffe is tall!
  • The inside is covered in tiny, finger-like bumps called 'villi' which give it a huge surface area to soak up nutrients.
  • Food can spend up to 4 hours on its journey through the small intestine.