How do tapeworms feed if they have no digestive systems?

Tapeworms do have a digestive system, albeit a highly simplified one. This system allows them to absorb nutrients from the food they consume. Tapeworms possess specialised structures for nutrient absorption, including:

- Scolex: The scolex is the head of the tapeworm and is equipped with hooks and suckers. It attaches the tapeworm to the intestinal walls of its host, allowing for effective anchorage.

- Cuticle: The cuticle covering the tapeworm's body is designed to absorb digested food particles from the host's intestine. Microvilli, microscopic projections, increase the surface area of the cuticle, enhancing the absorption of nutrients.

- Proglottids: The tapeworm is composed of numerous proglottids, which are segments that contain reproductive organs. As these segments mature, they detach from the body and pass out of the host through the feces. Each mature proglottid contains numerous eggs or larvae, allowing the tapeworm to disperse and reproduce.

- Nutrients from host: Tapeworms obtain their nourishment from the partially digested food in the host's small intestine. The host's digestive enzymes break down the food, and the tapeworm absorbs the resulting nutrients through its body surface and specialised structures like microvilli.

It's important to note that different species of tapeworms have varying adaptations and might possess slight variations in their digestive structures. However, the overall mechanism involves absorbing predigested nutrients from the host's intestinal contents.