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Why are cows called ruminates?

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Anonymous

14y ago
Updated: 8/19/2019

It is because of the presence of the largest second chamber, called the rumen, out of a total of four chambers in the stomach of an animal labeled as such. All cows, regardless if they are dairy or beef, are ruminant animals.

They "ruminate" or chew cud of the partly digested/fermented (some like to call it "decomposed") plant material that has been regurgitated from the reticulo-rumen, then reswallow it to allow it to ferment and break down some more, before continuing on through the rest of the animal's digestive system.

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Wiki User

12y ago

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