Write in detail about the digestion …

1) The animals (such as cow) which eat grass have a special stomach to digest the tough cellulose carbohydrate present in grass. 2) The stomach of a cow is large and consists of four compartments (or four chambers).The first compartment of a cow’s stomach is the biggest and it is called rumen. 3) When cow eats grass as food while grazing, it does net chew it completely (because it has no time for it). The cow swallows the grass quickly with little chewing and stores it in the rumen (which is the first compartment of stomach). 4)The rumen contains cellulose digesting bacteria. The bacteria present in the rumen of a cow start to digest cellulose carbohydrate present in grass food. Thus, the grass is partially digested in the rumen. The partially digested food (or partially digested grass) in the rumen of a cow is called cud. After some time, when the cow is resting, the cud from rumen is brought back to the mouth of cow in small amounts at a time. The cow now chews the cud thoroughly. This is why many times we see a cow (or buffalo) moving its jaws from side to side and chewing continuously even when it is not eating grass. The process by which the cud (partially digested food) is brought back from the stomach to the mouth of the animal and chewed again is called rumination (or chewing the cud). All the animals which chew the cud are called ruminants. When the cud is thoroughly chewed in the mouth of the cow, it is swallowed again. But this chewed cud does not go back to rumen. The thoroughly chewed cud now goes into the other compartments of the cow’s stomach and then into the small intestine for complete digestion and absorption. The animals called ruminants can survive on grass as food because they have certain bacteria in the rumen part of their stomach which can digest the cellulose carbohydrate present in grass (and other plant leaves). The cellulose digesting bacteria are not present in the body of human beings due to which human beings cannot digest cellulose carbohydrate present in plant foods. We (human beings) cannot survive by eating only grass (or raw leafy vegetables) because these foods contain mainly cellulose carbohydrate and our body does not have bacteria which can digest cellulose carbohydrate

1) The animals (such as cow) which eat grass have a special stomach to digest the tough cellulose carbohydrate present in grass.

2) The stomach of a cow is large and consists of four compartments (or four chambers).The first compartment of a cow’s stomach is the biggest and it is called rumen.

3) When cow eats grass as food while grazing, it does net chew it completely (because it has no time for it). The cow swallows the grass quickly with little chewing and stores it in the rumen (which is the first compartment of stomach).

4)The rumen contains cellulose digesting bacteria. The bacteria present in the rumen of a cow start to digest cellulose carbohydrate present in grass food. Thus, the grass is partially digested in the rumen. The partially digested food (or partially digested grass) in the rumen of a cow is called cud.

After some time, when the cow is resting, the cud from rumen is brought back to the mouth of cow in small amounts at a time. The cow now chews the cud thoroughly. This is why many times we see a cow (or buffalo) moving its jaws from side to side and chewing continuously even when it is not eating grass.

The process by which the cud (partially digested food) is brought back from the stomach to the mouth of the animal and chewed again is called rumination (or chewing the cud). All the animals which chew the cud are called ruminants.

When the cud is thoroughly chewed in the mouth of the cow, it is swallowed again. But this chewed cud does not go back to rumen. The thoroughly chewed cud now goes into the other compartments of the cow’s stomach and then into the small intestine for complete digestion and absorption.

The animals called ruminants can survive on grass as food because they have certain bacteria in the rumen part of their stomach which can digest the cellulose carbohydrate present in grass (and other plant leaves).

The cellulose digesting bacteria are not present in the body of human beings due to which human beings cannot digest cellulose carbohydrate present in plant foods.

We (human beings) cannot survive by eating only grass (or raw leafy vegetables) because these foods contain mainly cellulose carbohydrate and our body does not have bacteria which can digest cellulose carbohydrate.

Grass eating animals are known as ruminants. Animals like cows, goats and buffaloes eat grass. These animals swallow grass quickly and store in a sac-like structure called the rumen. Rumen forms the first stomach and is four-chambered. Here, food is partially digested and is called the cud. Plants contain cellulose in large quantities. Cellulose is a complex structure which is broken down into simpler particles in the rumen. The process where cud returns to the mouth in small lumps for ruminants to chew is called rumination.

Rumination is aided by bacteria present in the rumen which breaks down cellulose in plants. The digested food is then passed to the reticulum. Some animals including humans cannot digest cellulose for its complex structure.