Question

giraffes often eat leaves from thorny acacia trees. this giraffe is using its long, tough tongue to grab leaves while avoiding the thorns. the giraffe can use its tongue to pull the leaves into its mouth. what happens to leaves inside a giraffes mouth? select all that apply. the giraffe uses its teeth to crush the leaves into small pieces. the leaves enter the giraffes blood. the giraffes saliva begins to digest the leaves. submit

Explanation:

• The giraffe uses its teeth to crush the leaves into small pieces: Teeth are used for mechanical digestion (chewing) to break down food into smaller pieces.
• The giraffe's saliva begins to digest the leaves: Saliva contains enzymes (e.g., amylase in some species, though giraffe saliva specifics might vary in terms of initial digestive steps like moistening and starting breakdown of some components) that start the chemical digestion process.
• The leaves enter the giraffe's blood: This is incorrect. Leaves (food) first go through digestion in the digestive tract (mouth, stomach, intestines etc.). Nutrients are absorbed into the blood from the intestines, not directly from the mouth.

Answer:

• The giraffe uses its teeth to crush the leaves into small pieces.
• The giraffe's saliva begins to digest the leaves.