Digestion in Ruminants & Rodents

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- water is removed

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Abomasum

- true stomach of the ruminants

- gastric juice containing digestive enzymes

- HCl and pepsin

Ruminants

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Flow of food in ruminant

mouth

oesophagus

rumen

mouth

omasum

reticulum

abomasum

regurgitation

fermentation

curd

swallow

swallow

- H2O

chyme

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rumen

reticulum

abomasum

omasum

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Digestive System of Rodents

Their caecum and appendix are enlarged to store the cellulase producing bacteria

Food pass the alimentary canal twice

- first as food

- then as soft faeces

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Soft and watery faeces usually produced at night

Eaten again

Pass out as hard and dry faeces during the day

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Rat digestive system

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Rat’s caecum

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Flow of food in rodents

mouth

oesophagus

stomach

caecum

anus

Small intestine

swallow

Re-eat the faeces to absorb more nutrient

Digest cellulose

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Eaten again? Why??

to enable the animals to absorb the products of bacterial breakdown

allow rodent to recover the nutrients initially lost with the faeces

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