An alimentary canal (also known as Gastrointestinal Tract) is a long passage extending from the mouth to the anus or the end of the rectum. It has a length of approximately 6.5 meters (20 feet) long. It has regions specialized for ingestion (the mouth and buccal cavity), digestion (mainly the stomach and small intestine), absorption (mainly the small intestine for food and large intestine for water), and egestion (rectum and anus). The alimentary canal differs substantially from animal to animal (e.g. Some animals have multi-chambered stomachs).

The intestinal tract is absolutely crucial to the proper functioning of the human body. If you're small or large intestines were to fail it could be disastrous to your overall health unless a doctor caught your problem in time and you were able to get surgery. Many people don't realize how important the intestines are to digest the food we eat, it can take a long time to properly move food through your intestines and all the while the waste is getting removed.