Introduction
The main properties of living entities are nutrition and digestion, which are intertwined. Following the digestion process, nutrition is gained from food. Animal nutrition addresses issues such as nutrient requirements, mode of consumption, and food use in the body. Some nutrients are complicated and can’t be used straight away. They must be broken down into simpler components, which is referred to as digestion.
Process of Digestion
Human digestion is carried out by a well-organized and separate digestive system. Food is swallowed by the mouth, then passes through the pharynx and into the food pipe, or oesophagus, before reaching the stomach. When complex food reaches the stomach, digestive fluids are secreted to break it down into simpler molecules, allowing nutrients to be absorbed.
Digestion in Grass Eating Animals
Ruminants are herbivorous animals that eat grass. Grass-eating animals include cows, goats, and buffaloes. These animals swiftly consume grass and store it in a rumen-like structure. Rumen is a four-chambered stomach that forms the first stomach. Food is largely digested in this area, which is referred to as the cud. Cellulose is a complex structure that the rumen breaks down into smaller pieces. Rumination is the process of cud returning to the mouth in little lumps for ruminants to eat.
Examples of Grass Eating Animals
Some of the ruminants are as follows:
- Deer
- Goat
- Zebra
- Sheep
- Horse
- Buffalo
- Giraffe
- Elephant
- Rhinoceros
- American Bison
Digestive System of Grass Eating Animals
Ruminants, like humans, have a well-developed digestive system. The parts of a grass-eating animal’s digestive tract are as follows:
Mouth
Ruminants’ mouths are designed for grazing. Ruminants have 32 teeth as adults. There are eight incisors in the lower jaw, three premolars on both sides of the upper and lower jaw (12), and three molars on both sides of the upper and lower jaw (12). (12). Ruminants have a powerful tongue that makes it easier to tear grasses from the ground.
Oesophagus
It’s a muscular tube that’s usually separated into three sections: cervical, thoracic, and abdominal. In ruminants, the oesophagus is made up of striated muscles that allow food to travel in both directions.
Stomach
The stomach of a ruminant is separated into four parts: the Rumen, Reticulum, Omasum, and Abomasum.
- The rumen, which is made up of numerous sacs, is the largest section of the stomach. Ruminants use it as a food source as well
- Closer to the heart is the reticulum, which is a bag-like structure
- Omasum is a globe-shaped structure that is responsible for food absorption
- The digestive glands line the abomasum, which is the last section of the stomach. The abomasum is similar to a human stomach
Small intestine
The duodenum, jejunum, and ileum are the three sections of this long, highly coiled tubular structure. It is the location where food is digested and absorbed. The small intestine’s inner wall is comparable to that of humans. It has many inward foldings called villi that help with food absorption.
By spilling their secretions into the small intestine, the pancreas and gallbladder aid in the digestion of food within the small intestine.
The caecum is the point where the small and big intestines meet.
Large intestine
It is the section of the digestive tract at the conclusion of which undigested food is passed for evacuation. The absorption of water from undigested food is the focus of this section.
Rumination used by Grass Eating Animals
The grass that animals eat contains cellulose, which is a sort of carbohydrate, and the grass is abundant with cellulose, thus the animals employ the rumination process to digest it. Grass-eating animals have microorganisms that break down and digest the cellulose. Many animals are unable to digest cellulose because their digestive systems are incapable of doing so.
Conclusion
The rumen absorbs nutrients from food that other animals are unable to digest. As a result, cows can eat plant parts left over after grains are collected for human use (such as seed coatings, shells, and stems). “By-products” is a term used to describe the residual materials. Farmers and companies can save money by not having to pay to dispose of by-products and make money by selling them as animal feed.