Name: Digestion in Grass-Eating Animals
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 5 min 47 s
Description: Digestion in grass-eating animals involves the process of rumination. In this video, we will learn about the digestive system of ruminants and the importance...

Question

How does digestion take place in ruminants? Explain with the help of a diagram.

Accepted Answer

The grass-eating animals quickly swallow the fodder and store it in a separate part of the stomach called the rumen. In the rumen, food is partially digested. The partially digested food is called cud. The cud is then brought to the mouth in small lumps and chewed. The process of chewing the cud is called rumination and the animals are called ruminants. During rumination, cud mixes with saliva and becomes a pulpy or semi-liquid paste.

After chewing, the pulpy food is passed to the omasum. It is the smallest chamber. From here, food enters the fourth chamber called the abomasums. This is the true stomach. Digestive juices are secreted here to help in the process of digestion.

From the fourth chamber, the food enters the small intestine. Absorption of nutrients occurs here. The food that remains undigested and unabsorbed enters the large intestine. No digestion occurs here. Its main function is to absorb water from the undigested food material. The undigested waste from the large intestine passes into the rectum and is stored here as semi- solid faeces. The faecal matter is passed out through an opening called the anus.

How does digestion take place in ruminants? Explain with the help of a diagram.

Important Questions on Nutrition in Animals

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