Biology / Unit 12 Bio 2767 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Monogastric versus Ruminant Digestive Systems
Captions available
The idea
A monogastric system has one stomach chamber; a ruminant system has four — rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum — supporting microbes that ferment cellulose ruminants cannot digest alone.
In practice
Cattle regurgitate and re-chew cud from the reticulum before it passes to the abomasum, the "true" stomach equivalent.
Where people slip
Pseudo-ruminants like camels have only three chambers and instead ferment roughage mainly in an enlarged cecum.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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