15.03.2020

The horse is a ruminant. Ruminant mammals: families, characteristics and photos. The specificity of plant foods

Artiodactyl animals that inhabit the planet in our time are placental mammals. All of them are divided into 3 suborders, made up of ten families, eighty-nine genera and 242 species of animals. Many species from this set play a very prominent role in people's lives. This is especially true for the bovid family.

Description

Animals of the artiodactyl family have a huge variety of body sizes and shapes. Their mass is also very different: a small deer has about 2 kilograms of weight, while a hippopotamus weighs up to 4 tons. The height of animals can be from 23 cm for the same deer and up to 5 meters at the withers for a giraffe.

The peculiarity of artiodactyls, from which, in fact, the name of the family came from, is the presence of the third and fourth fingers, which are covered with a thick hoof at their ends. All feet have separation between the toes. The number of fingers in artiodactyls is reduced as a result of underdevelopment of the thumb. In addition, most species have reduced second and fifth fingers relative to the rest. This makes it possible to say that artiodactyl animals have 2 or 4 fingers.

In addition, the talus of artiodactyls is very specific: its structure absolutely limits sideways movement, making it possible to better bend / unbend the hind limbs. Springy ligaments and the unique structure of the talus, long limbs and hard hooves give the animals of this order the ability to move very quickly. Species living in snowy or sandy regions have splayed fingers, which make it possible to distribute weight along larger area surface, which allows you to feel more confident on loose surfaces.

Artiodactyl animals, the list of which is very diverse, are mostly herbivores. The exceptions are pigs and peccaries, which can feed on eggs and insect larvae.

Despite the fact that plants are an excellent source of various nutrients, artiodactyls cannot digest lignin or cellulose due to the lack of the necessary enzymes. For this reason, artiodactyls are forced to rely more on microorganisms to help digest these complex compounds. All members of the family have at least one additional chamber of the digestive tract, which makes it possible to carry out bacterial fermentation. This chamber is also called the "false stomach", it is located in front of the real one. Bovids and deer are equipped with three false stomachs; hippos, deer, camels - two; bakers and pigs are one.

Behavior

Artiodactyl animals in most cases lead a herd life. However, there are species that prefer the existence of singles. Feeding in groups greatly increases the food intake of a single individual. This is due to the fact that animals spend less time tracking a predator. However, with an increase in the number of individuals in the herd, competition within the species increases.

Most artiodactyls are forced to carry out seasonal migrations. There can be many reasons for this, but most often such trips are associated with natural changes: seasonal availability of food, an increase in the number of predators, drought. Despite the fact that migration requires a large physical and quantitative cost from the herd, it increases individual survival, leading to an improvement in intraspecific qualities.

The natural enemies of artiodactyls are dogs and cats. In addition, people also hunt these animals for skins, meat and trophies. Before small predators, cubs are most vulnerable, unable to move quickly or defend themselves.

reproduction

To understand which animals belong to artiodactyls, you need to know how they reproduce.

Most animals are polygamous, but there are species that tend to be monogamous. Polygamy can be expressed not only in the protection of one's female or the entire harem, but also in the careful protection of the region in which the male lives and there is a sufficient number of females.

Most often, reproduction occurs once every year. But some species are able to leave offspring several times during the year. Artiodactyl animals, the list of which is offered below, can bear cubs from 4 to 15.5 months. In addition to pigs, giving birth to up to 12 babies in a litter, artiodactyls are able to produce 1-2 cubs weighing from 500 grams to 80 kg at birth.

Artiodactyls become fully adult, capable of breeding animals by 6-60 months (depending on the species). The birth of babies most often occurs during the growing season of plants. Thus, animals inhabiting the arctic and temperate regions produce cubs in March-April, while tropical inhabitants - at the beginning of the rainy season. For the female, the term of childbirth is especially important, because she needs to restore strength not only after gestation, but also keep in mind the increased need for nutrients for the entire lactation period. A large amount of greenery allows the younger generation to grow faster.

Even domestic artiodactyl animals (the horse does not belong to them) demonstrate early independence: within 1-3 hours after birth, the cub is able to move independently. By the end of the feeding period (lasting from 2 to 12 months in various species), the cub becomes completely independent.

Spreading

Artiodactyl animals, whose names are difficult to list in one article, inhabit all the ecosystems of the Earth. Human activity has led to the fact that many species now live far beyond their natural habitats.

Artiodactyls have a high degree adaptability. They can live in any areas that have food suitable for the animal. Despite the fact that such animals are common everywhere, it is more typical for them to live in open meadows, meadows near rocks, in bushes and forests, in ecotones.

Classification

The order is divided into three suborders: corn-footed, ruminant and non-ruminant. Let's consider each of them in more detail.

Ruminants

This suborder includes 6 families. The name of the suborder comes from the fact that all animals belonging to it are able to digest food only after additional chewing of burped food. Their stomach is complex, consisting of four or three chambers. In addition, ruminants lack upper incisors, but have underdeveloped upper canines.

This sub-order includes:

Pronghorn.

Bovids.

Giraffe.

Deer.

Musk deer.

Reindeer.

Non-ruminants

Artiodactyl animals, the photo of which is presented below, do not use “chewing gum” in digestion, their stomachs are quite simple, although they can be divided into three chambers. Feet usually have 4 toes. Tusk-shaped fangs, no horns.

Behemoths.

Bakery.

calluses

This suborder consists of only one family - camelids. The stomach in animals is three-chambered. They do not have hooves as such, instead they have limbs with two fingers, at the ends of which there are curved blunt claws. When walking, camelids do not use their fingertips, but the entire area of ​​​​the phalanges. The lower surface of the feet has an unpaired or paired callous cushion.

Omnivores or herbivores

Many animals belong to the order of artiodactyls: hippos, antelopes, pigs, giraffes, goats, bulls and a huge number of other species. All artiodactyl animals (a horse is an artiodactyl animal) have hooves at the ends of the phalanges of fingers - hard horn covers. The limbs of these animals move parallel to the body, so the clavicles are absent in artiodactyls. The vast majority of artiodactyls live in ground systems However, hippos spend most of their time in the water. Most artiodactyls are able to move very quickly.

It is believed that artiodactyls appeared in the Lower Eocine. The ancestors of these animals were primitive predators. Currently, these animals are inhabited by all continents except Antarctica. However, in Australia, artiodactyls appeared artificially - they were brought in by humans for the purpose of using them in agriculture.

Today, a rich list of extinct artiodactyls is known, most of which disappeared due to human fault. Many species are listed in the Red Book and are on the verge of extinction. These are Sakhalin musk deer, bison, Chukchi snow sheep, Ussuri spotted deer, dzeren and many others.

Is it possible to understand on your own which animals are artiodactyls? Yes, and it's not too hard to do. In order to make sure that an animal belongs to this detachment, you just need to look at its legs. If the hoof is divided in half, then this animal is artiodactyl. If there is no opportunity to look at the legs, it is enough to recall the close relatives of this species. For example, you cannot see the legs of a mountain sheep, but you perfectly understand that its domestic relative is a goat. Her hooves are divided in half. Accordingly, these are artiodactyls.

12.07.2016

Artiodactyl and equid-hoofed representatives of the fauna have a number of differences and dissimilar features not only in external data and structure, but also in behavior and life in nature. For most schoolchildren, it is rather problematic to distinguish between these two classes of mammals.

Speaking of horses, this family has one hoof, due to which it cannot even be visually attributed to the class of artiodactyls. Therefore, in addition to theory in textbooks and books on zoology, outward signs equids include both horses and various rhinos and representatives of tapirs. In total, there are about 17 species of such animals. Combined all outwardly different animals into one class of odd-toed ungulates, zoologist Richard Owen, having conducted a series of studies in the 19th century.

Signs of artiodactyls

In order to understand what they are distinctive features two classes of mammals - artiodactyls and equids among themselves, it is necessary to initially determine which families are included in their composition.

Artiodactyl animals include such representatives of the fauna:

  • ruminants - bulls, sheep, giraffes, deer, bison, pronghorns, as well as antelopes;
  • non-ruminant - pigs, hippos, bakers;
  • calluses, namely camels.

As a rule, the limbs of such animals end in a special case in the form of hooves. A distinctive feature of artiodactyls is the reduced first finger on the limbs, as well as underdeveloped second and fifth fingers. Usually, individuals of this type have large or medium body sizes, as well as an elongated muzzle, if they are ruminants, additional horns.

All the continents of the world are inhabited by artiodactyls, the only exception was Antarctica. Previously, these creatures were not on the territory of the island of Australia, but thanks to the efforts of man, this “defect” was corrected. Most often, animals of the class of artiodactyls inhabit the steppe and flat areas, tundra, deserts, savannahs. Much less often they can be found in forests and thickets.

The main differences between artiodactyls and equids are in the following points:

  1. Artiodactyl representatives of the fauna have a hoof with a pair of fingers, in turn, equids have a limb with an odd number of fingers covered with a hoof.
  2. In the wild, representatives of the class of artiodactyls are more common throughout the world, their "opponents" for weeks.
  3. In addition, artiodactyl animals have a complicated form of digestion, suggesting a multi-chambered stomach.

Why is a horse equine?

In addition to the horse (donkeys and zebras), the following animals belong to the group of equids: the families of tapirs and rhinos. Initially, such representatives of the fauna were widely distributed everywhere except Australia and Antarctica. As already known, the horse belongs to the equid-hoofed class, as it has a single solid hoof, which is marked and focused on the third toe. The remaining fingers, namely the second and fourth fingers, are so underdeveloped by nature that they do not reach the ground.

The next sign by which a horse belongs to this class of animals is its digestive system. In such creatures, the digestion of food does not take place in the stomach, as many have assumed, but in the large intestine. Due to this, there is no need for such creatures to have a multi-chamber stomach; in their structure, scientists discovered a single-chamber organ. In general, both horses and other equids belong to this category due to the odd number of active "walking" toes.

In addition, there are a number of typical hallmarks equids:

  • between the talus and navicular bone, a special additional joint is assumed, due to which the mobility of the limbs decreases;
  • oblong head shape and long upper jaw;
  • there is a wide contact between the lacrimal and nasal bones;
  • the horns are made of keratin;
  • enlarged lower jaw and deepened jaw joint.

According to all the above signs and characteristics, the equine family is a clear representative of the class of equids.

Characteristic features of a horse as an artiodactyl animal

In addition to the above obvious differences between artiodactyl horses and other species of artiodactyl animals, there are a number of secondary characteristics of these noble animals. Such animals lead a more active lifestyle during twilight and night. They feed exclusively on vegetation, namely leaves and herbs, as well as other parts of plants.

In addition, equine animals, namely horses, give small offspring and suggest a long gestation period. Usually during childbirth, individuals give one cub at a time. In captivity, animals can live up to 50 years.

Suborder Ruminant artiodactyls

These are deer, antelopes, wild bulls etc. These are slender mammals of large or medium size. The skin is covered with thick hair. Most have antlers, but only male deer have antlers.

They feed on grass, leaves, berries, and some - mosses and lichens. There are no incisors on the upper jaw, and most animals lack fangs. fangs mandible have the same shape as the incisors, and serve to bite off the grass. The molars have a folded surface that facilitates the chewing of hard plant food. The stomach is complex and consists of several sections; the plucked grass is moistened in the mouth with saliva and swallowed by the animal without chewing. Through the esophagus, it enters one of the departments, where it is partially crushed, and then burps. Through the esophagus, such food enters the mouth, in which it is thoroughly chewed. Well-chewed food again passes through the esophagus and enters other parts of the stomach, where it continues to be digested under the influence of gastric juice.

Elk- most large view deer, body length 250–300 cm, height at the withers 235 cm, weight from 300 to 570 kg. The head is large, with a hook-nosed muzzle, a mobile upper lip; large ears, with which he catches the slightest rustle. The coat is long and thick, the color is dark brown in summer, and somewhat lighter in winter; the legs are also light.

Elk lives in taiga, mixed and deciduous forests with dense undergrowth, adheres to wetlands near forest swamps and reservoirs rich in wetland vegetation. Moose are very dexterous in their movements, they can walk through marshy forest swamps, deep snow, without falling through, as they have long legs with wide cloven hooves, a leathery membrane between the fingers.

The food is varied. In summer, they eat succulent marsh plants, young shoots of trees, leaves of shrubs, and in winter - bark, tree branches, lichens. The movable upper lip helps to capture food.

In spring, in the dense thickets of the forest, the moose cow gives birth to 1–2 calves, which, like all cubs of artiodactyls, can soon follow their mother and feed on young greenery. Moose's enemies are wolves and bears. From them he flees or defends himself with his front legs.

The elk is considered a valuable commercial animal, it is hunted for its meat, valuable skin and horns.

Roe lives in light mixed and deciduous forests, the body length is 100–130 cm, and the height at the withers is 75 cm. This is a very slender animal on long legs, it runs fast. She has a well-developed sense of smell, sight and hearing - all this allows the roe deer to survive in the forest. In the summer it keeps alone, and the rest of the time - in small groups. Feeds on shoots, leaves, buds deciduous trees, herbaceous plants, often consumes mushrooms, lichens, berries. In winter, it eats roughage - branches of trees and shrubs.

Roe deer is an object of commercial and sport hunting, its shooting is allowed under licenses.

From the book Animal Life Volume I Mammals author Bram Alfred Edmund

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From the book Animal World author Sitnikov Vitaly Pavlovich

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Suborder Non-ruminant artiodactyls This suborder includes wild boar, hippopotamus, etc. All representatives of this order have a massive body, a short neck and a small tail. The limbs are small, four-fingered, ending in hooves. They eat plant foods, among them there are

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Suborder Semi-monkeys This group includes lemurs, tarsiers, and others. Lemurs (lemur vari, ring-tailed lemur etc.) are common in Madagascar and some neighboring islands. They have a somewhat elongated muzzle, large, golden eyes, a tail longer than the body,

From the author's book

Suborder Monkeys Most of them live in tropical forests, some choose rocky mountains. All of them are well adapted to climbing, many have a grasping tail, which is used as a rudder when making a long jump. In addition, with a tail

High-legged, in most cases (slender animals). The number of fingers is two or four, but functionally the limb is always two-fingered, since the lateral fingers, if any, are underdeveloped and in normal conditions when walking, they usually do not touch the ground. The metapodia of the lateral rays of the foot and hand are reduced to some extent and do not articulate with the bones of the tarsus and carpus; of the lateral metapodia, usually only proximal or distal rudiments are preserved; often, especially on the hind limbs, they disappear altogether. The metapodia of the middle (III and IV) rays are usually fused and form an unpaired bone. The ulna in the distal and middle part is significantly reduced, often fused with the radius. The fibula undergoes an even greater reduction; from it, only the distal end is preserved as a small independent bone, the so-called ankle bone, which articulates with the tibia, calcaneus (calcaneus) and talus (astragalus) and is functionally part of the tarsus. The exception is members of the deer family (Tragulidae), in which the fibula is preserved more completely and merges with the tibia in the lower half. In the wrist, a small polygonal bone (trapezoideum) merges with the capitate (capitaturn s. magnum) or is rudimentary; a large polygonal bone (trapezium) disappears or merges with previous bones. In the tarsus, the fusion of the cuboid bone (cuboideum) with the navicular bone (naviculare) is characteristic of all groups of ruminants. The second and third sphenoid bones (cuneHorme II and III) also merge into one. The distal articular block of the middle metapodia has a more or less pronounced median crest. The bases of the transverse processes of the cervical vertebrae are perforated by a canal for the passage of the vertebral arteries.

Unlike corns, the terminal phalanges of ruminants are dressed in real hooves. Instead of a coracoid process, the lower arch of the atlas bears on the ventral surface only a slightly protruding tubercle. The odontoid process of the second cervical vertebra (epistrophy) has the shape of a hollow semicylinder. Thoracic vertebrae thirteen, rarely fourteen.

The mastoid (mastoid) part behind the squamosal extends to the outer surface of the skull. The eye socket is always closed. The frontal bones usually bear some form of outgrowths, horns. The sagittal sagittal crest on the skull is not developed, even though the parietal crests on both sides are in contact with each other. The articular fossa for articulation with the lower jaw and the articular condyle of the latter have a transversely elongated shape. The facial and orbital parts of the lacrimal bone are evenly developed. On its front surface there is often a preorbital fossa for the preorbital skin glands. Between the lacrimal, nasal, frontal and maxillary bones, many forms have so-called ethmoidal fissures.

There are no incisors in the upper jaw. At the bottom, they are spatulate or chisel-shaped. The upper canines may also disappear, but in hornless forms they, on the contrary, are strongly developed and protrude downward from the oral cavity (deer, musk deer). The fangs of the lower jaw adjoin the incisors and take the form of the latter. The posterior molars are lunate (selenodont). Some groups develop hypsodontia. The anterior molars (premolars) form a continuous row with the posterior molars. The first premolar does not develop. The second premolar is not canine-shaped like that of camels. There is a significant toothless gap between the canines and molars.

The skin has a normal hairline, consisting of a thinner awn than that of pigs and a thin, delicate fluff (undercoat). The formation of a thick subcutaneous layer of adipose tissue does not take place. In addition to the mammary, sebaceous and sweat glands characteristic of all mammals, and the skin of most ruminants, a number of special skin glands peculiar only to them are formed. The main ones are:

1. Interhoof, or interdigital in the form of a bag-like or bottle-shaped protrusion of the skin, opening either between the bases of the hooves, or slightly above them on the front side of the limbs;

2. Preorbital glands of various sizes and shapes, located in the corresponding recesses on the surface of the lacrimal bones of the skull;

3. Carpal glands, externally protruding in the form of a pillow or a tuft of hair on the front (dorsal) side of the limbs, below the carpal joint (available only in some bovids.

4. Tarsal (tarsal) and metatarsal (metatarsal) glands, also looking like pillows or tufts of protruding hair; the former are located on the inner (medial) side of the hock (ankle) joint, and the latter are lower, on inside metatarsus;

5. Inguinal glands - sac-like protrusions of the skin in the back of the abdomen on the sides of the mammary gland (available only in some bovids.

The skin glands secrete a secret of various consistency and odor, which probably serves for the purpose of recognizing and finding each other by animals on the trail. The function of some glands is associated with sexual activity. The presence or absence of individual glands in some cases is a systematic feature of a particular group.

The stomach is complex, divided into clearly demarcated four (rarely three) sections: scar, mesh, book and abomasum. Actually the stomach, its digestive part, is only the last of these departments. In the process of digestion, regurgitation of food swallowed in the first section of the stomach and its secondary chewing (chewing gum) take place. The placenta is multiple cotyledonous, except for the deer. The mammary gland is two- or four-lobed, located in the region of the posterior part of the abdominal wall.

Evolution and classification of ruminants

Ruminants appeared on the geological scene in the Eocene in the form of small forms, which, compared with non-ruminants, occupied an insignificant place in the fauna of that era. At present, they represent the most progressive and numerous group of ungulates, which has not yet experienced its heyday. The evolution of ruminants was in the direction of adapting to feeding exclusively on plant foods and fast running as a means of escaping from enemies and a way of using vast, but scarce and waterless forage areas. Associated with this are: the shape of the lunate molars adapted for chewing hard plant foods, the lengthening of the middle and reduction of the lateral rays of the four-toed limb, which functionally turns into a two-toed, the strengthening of the central rays (III and IV) and the fusion of their metapodia into one unpaired bone, increasing limb strength. The complication of the stomach is also associated with adaptation to the diet of indigestible, rich in fiber, vegetable food and with protection from possible enemies. The voluminous first section of the stomach, the scar, allows the animal to quickly swallow a large number of lightly or completely unchewed food and process it in a shelter, in a calm environment. Under the influence of saliva and fiber-splitting microorganisms (ciliates), food in the rumen is macerated and burped in small portions for secondary chewing in oral cavity. Secondarily chewed, it enters for further processing by digestive juices and bacteria in the following sections of the stomach and intestines. This direction of evolution allowed the initially small ruminants to become winners in the life struggle and displace most of the rest, less adapted to changing environmental conditions, groups of ungulates.

Like other groups of artiodactyls, ruminants originate from primitive lower or middle Eocene paleodonts (Palaeodonta). Their earliest representatives appeared in the second half of the Eocene.

The genus Gelocus Aymard from the Lower Oligocene of Europe was morphologically close and, very likely, the direct ancestor of modern higher ruminants (Resoga). The upper incisors of Gelocus were lost, the anterior premolars lacked the shape and position of a canine. On the hind limbs, the middle metapodia had already fused into one bone, but on the forelimbs they were still separate. Close to modern deer (Tragulidae) and sometimes included with them in the same family. Gelocus itself can be considered as one of the immediate ancestors of the bovids (Bwidae). The divergence that began early in the Gelocidae group led to the appearance of forms (the genera Lophiomeryx, Prodremotherium, and some others) that served as the starting point for other Recoga families.

Of the other extinct groups of ancient ruminants, mention should be made of Protoceratids (Protoceratidae) - probable descendants of hypertragulids that existed from the Lower Oligocene to the Lower Pliocene in the territories North America. For the first time in the history of artiodactyls, representatives of this group had horns. The latter represented two or three pairs of bone outgrowths on the maxillary, nasal and frontal bones, probably covered with skin and hair, like in modern giraffes. Protoceratids have left no descendants in the modern fauna.

Modern ruminants make up five or six families.

1. deer(Tragulidae), the most primitive group, retaining a large number of archaic features characteristic of the common ancestors of the suborder. There are no horns. The ulna, fibula, and bones of the lateral rays of the carpus are fully preserved, although to a lesser degree developed. The metapodia of the central rays are completely fused only on the hind limbs; on the front, they remain either completely independent, or merge only partially. Only three sections are developed in the stomach, the book remains in its infancy. The placenta is diffuse. Includes only two modern genera: Tragulus Brisson from the south East Asia and Hyemoschus Gray from Equatorial Africa.

All the rest, the so-called higher ruminants, have a fully developed tarsus on all limbs, a four-parted stomach, a multiple cotyledon placenta, and are usually combined into the superfamily (or infraorder) Resoga, which includes the remaining five families.

Class - mammals

Infraclass - placental

Suborder - ruminants

Literature:

1. I.I. Sokolov "Fauna of the USSR, Ungulate animals" Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 1959.

The process of raising animals on a farm or homestead is often referred to as fattening. And this is not accidental: the final result depends on the quality of feed, their assimilation and quantity - timely weight gain, achievement of standard indicators. In order for the result of the work to be good, before starting the project, it is necessary to get acquainted with the features of the structure digestive organs pets and their physiology. Especially a complex system- stomach of ruminants.

From the mouth through the esophagus, food enters one of the sections of the stomach.

The stomach of this group of inhabitants of a farmstead or farm has special structure. It consists of 4 departments:

  1. Scar.
  2. Net.
  3. Book.
  4. Abomasum.

Each of the parts has its own functions, and physiology is aimed at the most complete assimilation of feed - obtaining energy and " building material" for body.

Scar

This is not a true stomach, but rather one of its 3 vestibules, which are called the proventriculus. The scar is the largest part of the gastric system. It is a bag of a curved configuration, which occupies a significant part of the abdominal cavity - almost the entire left half of it and the posterior part of the right. The volume of the scar increases with growth and by the age of six months reaches:

  • from 13 to 23 liters in small animals (sheep, goats);
  • from 100 to 300 liters in large ruminants (cows).

The walls of the scar do not have a mucous membrane and do not secrete enzymes for digestion. They are lined with many mastoid formations, which make the inner surface of the department rough and increase its area.

Net

A small rounded bag, the mucous membrane of which forms transverse folds, resembling a network with holes of different diameters. Digestive enzymes here, as in the rumen, are not produced, but the size of the cells allows you to sort the contents and skip only pieces of food of a certain caliber.

Book

Border organ between the proventriculus and the true stomach. The mucosa of the department is grouped into unidirectional folds of different sizes adjacent to each other. At the top of each "leaf" there are coarse short papillae. The structure of the book provides for further mechanical processing of the incoming feed and transit to the next department.

Scheme of the structure of the book: 1 - bottom; 2- entrance; 3-6 - leaves

Abomasum

This is a real stomach with all the functions inherent in this organ. The shape of the abomasum is pear-shaped, curved. The expanded section is connected to the exit from the book, and the narrowed end is smoothly connected to the intestinal cavity. The internal cavity is lined with mucous membranes and has glands of digestive secretion.

Physiological phenomena in the digestion of ruminants

For the full development of the animal, the process of processing and assimilation of feed in ruminants must be constant. This does not mean that you need to constantly fill the feeder. Nature provides for a long period of processing each portion of food in adult ruminants.

The absorption process begins in the oral cavity. Here, the feed is moistened with saliva, partial grinding, and the fermentation process begins.

First stage

Solid and dry food gets into the rumen. A favorable environment for the development of microorganisms has been created here:

  • low oxygen content;
  • lack of active ventilation;
  • humidity;
  • suitable temperature - 38 - 41 ° C;
  • lack of light.

The food fragments entering the rumen are no longer as coarse as in the feeder. Due to the primary chewing and exposure to saliva, they become pliable to grinding on the rough surface of the scar epithelium and processing by microbes.

Subjected to these processes, the feed mass remains in the rumen from 30 to 70 minutes. During this period, a small portion of it reaches the desired condition and enters the book through the grid, but the main part undergoes the chewing process.

Phenomenon definition

Chewing gum is the process of repeatedly regurgitating food from the rumen into the mouth in order to increase its digestibility.

The reflex mechanism includes a process that takes place periodically and constantly. It is not all the incoming food that is burped, but its individual portions. Each portion moves back to the oral cavity, where it is again moistened with saliva and chewed for about a minute, then again enters the first pancreatic region. The successive contraction of the fibers of the mesh and the muscles of the scar advances the chewed part of the food deep into the first section.

The chewing period lasts about an hour (approximately 50 minutes), then is interrupted for a while. During this interval, contractile and relaxing movements (peristalsis) continue in the digestive system, but regurgitation does not occur.

Important! The intake of chewed feed into the rumen activates microorganisms, which, feeding on their juices, increase the availability of food for digestion by animals.

The complex assimilation of vegetable proteins is facilitated by the activity of bacteria that constantly live in the sections of the gastric digestion of ruminants. These microorganisms reproduce several generations of their own kind per day.

In addition to participating in the breakdown of cellulose, rumen microorganisms are also the most important suppliers in the ruminant menu:

  • animal protein;
  • many B vitamins - folic, nicotinic, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, biotin, thiamine, pyridoxine, cyanocobalamin, as well as fat-soluble phylloquinone (vitamin K), which affects blood clotting.

This "mutually beneficial cooperation" - the use of the host organism for the vital activity of bacteria and the assistance of this macroorganism in the implementation of physiological processes is called symbiosis - a widespread phenomenon in nature.

Digestion of ruminants is multifaceted: many processes occur simultaneously. Separate portions of food are constantly moving into the grid, which passes pieces of a suitable caliber, and pushes large ones back with contractile movements.

After a period of rest, which lasts in ruminants different time(depending on conditions, type of food and type of animal), a new cud period begins.

Important! The chewing process does not stop at night, but, on the contrary, is activated.

The rumen is called the fermentation chamber of the ruminant body, and for good reason. It is in the rumen that 70 - 75% of the feed, including cellulose, undergoes splitting, which is accompanied by the release of large volumes of gases (methane, carbon dioxide) and fatty (so-called volatile) acids - sources of lipids (acetic, propionic, butyric). The food becomes digestible.

Further processing of food components

Only food particles already sufficiently fermented (by saliva, plant sap and bacteria) pass through the mesh.

Between the leaves of the book they are:

  • additionally crushed;
  • undergo further bacterial treatment;
  • partially lose water (up to 50%);
  • enriched with animal protein.

Active absorption of volatiles also takes place here. fatty acids(up to 90%) - a source of glucose and fats. By the time of exit from the book, the lump of food is a homogeneous (homogeneous) mass.

Unlike other animals, the stomach of ruminants (abomasum) produces juice containing digestive enzymes continuously, and not in response to food intake. During the day, rennet juice containing pepsin, lipase, chymosin and hydrochloric acid is produced from 4-11 liters in sheep to 40-80 liters in adult cows. The continuity of the secretion of rennet is explained by the constant supply of a sufficiently prepared mass of food from the proventriculus.

The quantity and quality of rennet juice directly depends on the composition of the feed. The largest volume and most significant activity of the secretory fluid is observed after the intake of fresh grass or hay. leguminous plants, grains, cake.

In the process of digestion of food in the abomasum, hormones of the liver, pancreas, thyroid, gonads and adrenal glands take part.

The walls of the abomasum, and later the intestines, complete the process of digestion, absorbing previously undigested substances. Undigested residues are excreted in the form of manure. Due to deep bacterial treatment, it is a very valuable product of agricultural activity, always in demand on the market and widely used in crop production.

Functions of the gastric departments

DepartmentFunctions
ScarFermentation, fermentation, creation and maintenance of an environment for symbiotic bacteria, food enrichment, chewing gum, cellulose breakdown, absorption of available substances
NetSorting food pieces
BookTransit + additional grinding of individual particles;

Absorption of water and fatty acids
AbomasumFinal digestion involving internal digestive organs and partial assimilation, transport of food residues to the intestines

Management of ruminant feeding

The harmonious development of livestock directly depends on the correct composition of the feed according to age.

Formation of the digestive organs of young animals

In young ruminants, the cud phenomenon, as well as the chambers of the gastric system, are not formed from birth. Abomasum at this time is the largest chamber of the gastric system. Milk, which is fed to newborns at the beginning of life, enters immediately into the abomasum, bypassing the undeveloped proventriculus. Digestion of this type of food occurs with the help of gastric secretions and partly enzymes from the mother's body present in the product.

To enable the process of chewing gum and the start of the rumen, plant foods and their inherent microorganisms are needed. Usually, young animals are transferred to plant foods from the age of 3 weeks.

However, modern cultivation technologies allow for some forcing the process of laying a typical ruminant digestion:

  • from the third day they begin to include small portions of combined feed in the diet of young animals;
  • offer the calves a small lump of maternal regurgitated food - this very quickly causes the phenomenon of chewing gum;
  • provide a regular supply of water.

Young animals that eat milk should be gradually transferred to plant foods. If the cubs are born during the grazing period, then the mixing of feed in the diet occurs naturally - along with mother's milk, newborns very soon taste grass.

But most of the calving occurs in autumn - winter, so the transfer to a mixed, and then a vegetable diet entirely depends on the owner of the herd.

It is during the period of mixed nutrition that begins:

  • development of all departments of gastric digestion, which is fully formed by the age of 6 months;
  • insemination internal surfaces scar beneficial microflora;
  • ruminant process.

General issues of ruminant feeding

The bacterial component of the diet, species composition microorganisms changes with the change of food (even vegetable). Therefore, the transfer, for example, from dry feed to succulent feed should also not occur at once, but be extended over time with a gradual replacement of components. A sharp change in diet is fraught with dysbacteriosis, and hence worsening of digestion.

And of course, with any type of feeding, food should be varied. Only if this condition is met, it will ensure the supply of a sufficient amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements to the ruminant's body.

The predominance of one type of feed can unbalance the harmonious processes in the body, shift them towards increased fermentation, gas formation or peristalsis. And any strengthening of one of the aspects of digestion will certainly weaken the others. As a result, the animal may become ill.

Important! In addition to feed great importance has a sufficient supply of livestock drinking water even when grazing. Its deficiency slows down digestion, reduces chewing activity and digestibility of feed.

Thus, a well-organized diet, taking into account the peculiarities of digestion in ruminants, is a guarantee proper development farm animals and excellent results of their cultivation.

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