Relating to or having the characteristics of a cloaca, the combined waste and reproductive opening found in birds, reptiles, and some fish.
From Latin cloaca plus the suffix -al (relating to). This term became common in zoological and anatomical texts during the 18th and 19th centuries as scientists studied animal anatomy.
Birds, reptiles, and fish don't have separate plumbing systems like mammals do—they have one all-purpose opening called a cloaca! This is why these animals have more efficient waste management and why studying animal evolution through anatomy is so cool.
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