In other mammals the large intestine is smooth and cylindrical and the longitudinal layer of muscular fibers uniform ([Fig. 475]).
In general the vertebrate large intestine is wider than the small, usually in the proportion of 5:1 or 6:1.
In some ruminant Herbivora, however, the great length of the colon leads to a reduction of the caliber in certain segments so that the large intestine does not exceed the width of the small, or even falls below the same.
The length of the large intestine, as in man, is usually much less than that of the small intestine. As already stated this disproportion is more marked in Carnivora than in Herbivora.
The ratio in length of the large to the small intestine is very low in the Seals (1:14), and in several Edentates, as Myrmecophaga, Tamandua and Bradypus (1:9-11).
In the carnivorous mammals it ranges 1:5-7.
In some of the ruminant Herbivora, as the cow and sheep, it is 1:4, while in the deer, horse, certain Rodents (as Lepus and Cricetus) it reaches as high as 1:2 or 1:3.
The large intestine is usually relatively short in birds, reptiles, amphibia and fish.
In the Cassowary the length of the large to the small intestine is 1:6.