Ruminant animals are a group of herbivores that have a unique digestive system that allows them to digest food without fully chewing it. They have four-chambered stomachs and are the only mammals capable of digesting food without fully chewing it. Cows, sheep, goats, moose, camels, deer, giraffes, buffalos, and other well-known ruminant species are among them.
In this article, we will explore seven different unique types of ruminant animals with pictures. Some of the entries on this list might just surprise you! But first, let’s break down in more depth what a ruminant animal actually is.
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Various types of ruminant animals may be found all around the world. Cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo, deer, elk, giraffes, camels, and more are examples of ruminants. Every single one of these creatures has a digestive system that is distinctively different from our own.
7 Types Of Ruminant Animals With Pictures
Cattle
Cattle, also known as oxen, are large domesticated ungulates that belong to the subfamily Bovinae and are the most widespread species of the genus Bos. They are commonly raised as livestock for meat, milk, and hides, and are used as draft animals for plowing and transportation.
Mature female cattle are referred to as cows, while mature male cattle are referred to as bulls. Young female cattle are called heifers, young male cattle are called bullocks, and castrated male cattle are called steers.
Cattle have a unique digestive system that allows them to better use energy from fibrous plant material than other herbivores. They are ruminants, which means they have a four-chambered stomach that allows them to digest food through microbial fermentation. Cattle are commonly found all over the world and are one of the most important domesticated animals for human use.
Sheep
Sheep, also known as domestic sheep, are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. They are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates, and are raised for their meat, milk, and wool.
Sheep are usually stockier than their relative, the goat, and have scent glands in their face and hind feet. They have short tails and in all wild species of sheep, the outer coat takes the form of hair, and beneath this lies a short undercoat of fine wool that has been developed into the fleece of domesticated sheep.
Male sheep are called rams, females are called ewes, and immature animals are called lambs. Sheep are most likely descended from the wild mouflon of Europe and Asia, with Iran being the primary center of domestication.
Sheep have a unique digestive system that allows them to digest food through microbial fermentation, and they regurgitate their food and chew the cud, enabling their four separate stomach compartments to thoroughly digest the grasses and other herbage that they eat.
Goats
Goats are ruminants, which means they have a four-compartment stomach that allows them to digest food through microbial fermentation. The four compartments of a goat’s stomach are the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum.
The rumen and reticulum form a large fermentation vat that contains microorganisms, mainly bacteria, that breakdown and digest feedstuffs, including the fibrous component of grass, forbs, and browse. The goat’s digestive system is designed to digest roughage, such as grass, hay, and silage.
When a goat kid is born, its rumen, reticulum, and omasum are very tiny and not useful, and it depends on liquid milk for its feed source. As the goat grows up, the size relationship of the four chambers changes, and the abomasum gets proportionally smaller.
Buffalo
Buffalo are ruminants, which means they have a four-chambered stomach that allows them to digest food through microbial fermentation. The rumen is the first chamber of the buffalo’s stomach and is the largest of the four compartments.
The rumen is an anaerobic environment, meaning that no oxygen is present, and it is home to a diverse microbial community that helps break down and ferment the feed.
Buffalo are herbivores and consume a variety of vegetation, including grasses, leaves, and stems. They are commonly raised for their meat, milk, and hides, and are used as draft animals for plowing and transportation.
Domestic water buffalo are found in many parts of the world, including the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Italy, the Balkans, Australia, North America, South America, and some African countries.
Deer
Deer are ruminants, which means they have a four-chambered stomach that allows them to digest food through microbial fermentation. The four chambers of a deer’s stomach are the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum.
The rumen is the first chamber of the deer’s stomach and is for storage. Deer are herbivores and consume a variety of vegetation, including grasses, leaves, and stems. They are commonly raised for their meat, antlers, and hides, and are also hunted for sport.
Male deer of all species (except the water deer), as well as female reindeer, grow and shed new antlers each year.
Elk
Elk are ruminants, which means they have a four-chambered stomach that allows them to digest food through microbial fermentation. The first chamber of the elk’s stomach is the rumen, which stores food, and the other three chambers digest it.
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Elk are herbivores and consume a variety of vegetation, including grasses, leaves, and stems. They are commonly raised for their meat, antlers, and hides, and are also hunted for sport.
Elk are one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and are found in North America and Central and East Asia.
Giraffes
Giraffes are ruminants, which means they have a four-chambered stomach that allows them to digest food through microbial fermentation. The feeding ecology and digestive morphophysiology of the giraffe suggest that it is a “moose-type” ruminant.
Giraffes are herbivores and consume a variety of vegetation, including leaves, flowers, and fruits. They are the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth.
Giraffes are found in sub-Saharan Africa and are commonly raised for their meat, hides, and tails. While traditionally thought to be one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, researchers have proposed dividing them into up to eight extant species due to new research into their mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, as well as morphological measurements.
FAQS
1. What is a ruminant animal?
A ruminant animal is a herbivore that has a four-chambered stomach that allows them to digest food through microbial fermentation. Cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo, deer, elk, and giraffes are all examples of ruminant animals.
2. What are the four chambers of a ruminant animal’s stomach?
The four chambers of a ruminant animal’s stomach are the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum.
3. What do ruminant animals eat?
Ruminant animals consume a variety of vegetation, including grasses, leaves, and stems.
4. What are ruminant animals commonly raised for?
Ruminant animals are commonly raised for their meat, milk, and hides, and are used as draft animals for plowing and transportation.
5. Where are ruminant animals found?
Ruminant animals are found all over the world, including in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
6. Why is understanding the digestive system of ruminant animals important?
Understanding the digestive system of ruminant animals is important for livestock producers to better understand how to care for and feed ruminant animals. Ruminant animals have a unique digestive system that allows them to better use energy from fibrous plant material than other herbivores.
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Category: Animals
