Internal Organs

Thyroid Cartilage

Respiratory, phonatory, skeletal system

Helps keep the airway open + houses/protects the vocal cords

Trachea

Respiratory system

Provides path for air to travel in and out of the lungs

Epiglottis

Respiratory, digestive system

Allow air to pass into the trachea and lungs

Channels food and liquids safely into the esophagus

Esophagus

Digestive system

Transports food and liquids from the pharynx to the stomach

Controls movement (peristalsis)

Greater Omentum

Digestive, Immune, Lymphatic systems

Immune defense of abdominal organs

Fat and energy storage

Physical protection of abdominal organs

Mesentery

Digestive system

Provides structural support to the small intestine, preventing it from twisting, and transports the nutrients it absorbs from the intestines through the blood stream to the rest of the body

Liver

Digestive and biliary systems

Regulates blood glucose levels, lipid metabolism, protein metabolism, processes drugs and hormones, excrete bilirubin, make bile salts, storage, phagocytosis of old cells and bacteria, and activates vitamin D

Gallbladder

Digestive and biliary systems

Stores, concentrates, and releases bile

Stomach

Digestive system

Stores food, chemically and mechanically digests food, kills harmful bacteria before chyme released into small intestine

Rugae of the stomach

Digestive system

Stretch and expand stomach to fit food, aid in mechanical digestion

Pyloric Sphincter

Digestive system

Regulates gastric emptying, prevents backflow of chyme

Spleen

Lymphatic and immune system

Filters blood, regulates blood cell count, stores platelets, identifies and fights infection

Pancreas

Digestive and endocrine systems

Produces enzymes to aid in chemical digestion, secretes insulin and glucagon to maintain stable blood sugar levels

Small Intestine

Digestive system

Chemical and mechanical digestion, absorb vital nutrients, move along waste

Large Intestine

Digestive system

Absorb water and electrolytes to form solid feces, waste storage, mucus secretion

Rectum

Digestive system

Fecal storage, initiation of defecation

Kidney

Urinary and endocrine systems

Vital filtration (toxin removal, absorbing of vital nutrients), produce enzymes and hormones to maintain healthy blood pressure, maintain pH of blood

Renal Artery

Urinary and circulatory system

Transports oxygenated waste filled blood from the abdominal aorta directly to the kidneys

Renal Vein

Urinary and circulatory system

Sends back deoxygenated blood to the heart via inferior vena cava, leaves behind waste products, returns essential nutrients back into the circulatory system

Ureter

Urinary system

Connect kidneys to the urinary bladder, transport urine