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Intestines

The intestines are divided into two major segments: the small intestine and the large intestine. Like the entire gastrointestinal system, the intestines consist of five layers of tissue. The first is the serosa, or outer-most layer. The second and third is the circular muscle and the longitudinal muscle, which are the layers responsible for the wave-like muscular contraction of smooth muscle known as peristalsis. The fourth layer is submucosa. The final layer is the mucosa, which contains...

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    Full Intestines Description

    [Continued from above] . . . roughly four million microscopic finger-like projections called intestinal villi. Because of their shape, the villi drastically increase the internal surface area of the intestines for more efficient digestion and absorption of nutrients.