Do Rats Have a Gallbladder?
WouterRats do not have a gallbladder, but they do produce bile in the liver. Bile is an essential part of the digestive process, as it helps the body break down fats. The gallbladder also helps in detoxification of substances from plants. The gall bladder is found in cats and dogs, but not in rats.
Rats do not have a gallbladder, although they do have a gallbladder-like organ in their abdomens. Instead, they produce concentrated bile juice in their liver. Rats’ diet contains very little fat, so the gallbladder is not needed.
Rats are popular as laboratory animals, because they are cheap and easy to house. They are also larger than mice, making them easier to use in experiments. But because rats lack a gallbladder, their study of gallstones has been limited. However, researchers have recently created a virtual gallbladder in rats by ligating their common bile duct and implanting human gallstones into it. The resulting model was validated using in vivo magnetic resonance imaging and evolving serum bilirubin levels.
Rats have a duplex uterus with two uterine horns fused caudally. The digestive system is very similar to that of humans, but there are some differences. For one thing, humans eat a lot of meat and fats, and the gallbladder is responsible for facilitating the breakdown of animal fats and proteins. Rats do not eat many seeds. This is because seeds contain hard cellulose and must be softened before they can be eaten.
