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How many stomachs does a cow have and why?

by bengans

Many people believe that cows have four stomachs. Some even say that the cow has seven stomachs. This is completely wrong. So how many bellies does a cow have? The cow has only one stomach, but that stomach is divided into four compartments: womb, reticulum, leaf stomach and rumen.

What are ruminants?

Ruminants are exclusively herbivores. They feed on stems, grasses and herbs and have a complex digestive system to convert food into simpler compounds. The plants on which ruminants feed have a high cellulose content, which can only be exploited thanks to the anatomy of the digestive system of these animals. Specialised microorganisms in the digestive system of the cow contribute to the process.

Ruminating actually means chewing back the food that has already been swallowed. Ruminants mix their food with saliva and pass it to the oesophagus, where it is then taken to the stomach. But in this process, the larger particles are pushed back into the mouth to be chewed again and later re-eaten.

Cow’s digestive system: the cow has four stomachs

A cow can consume an average of 70 kg of grass per day over a period of 8 hours. It is able to do this thanks to its special anatomical and physiological system that manages digestion. Let’s take a look at our strange stomach.

The four compartments of a cow’s stomach are:

Våm

This compartment contains microorganisms that start the fermentation of the food to transform it. The rumen is the largest compartment of all the stomach parts of a cow and can have a capacity of up to 200 litres.

Netmage

This part of the stomach is responsible for transporting the food back to the cow’s mouth to be chewed after it has been digested in the womb.

Bladmage

This section consists of various folds. The function of the cow’s stomach is to absorb excess water so that the feed passes to the next structure as concentrated as possible and that the enzymes involved in digestion are not flushed out.

Runners

This is the coma itself. The acidity in this area is high, which is why all the microorganisms that processed the food are digested here, which also stops the fermentation. Hydrochloric acid and pepsin are produced, which promotes the processing of proteins that have reached the area, causing a chemical digestion of the food.

Fun facts about cows and other animals

  • Camelids are also ruminants.
  • Cows emit methane gas when they digest food.
  • How much does a cow milk per year? Over 10 000 litres.
  • How many teeth does a cow have? 32.
  • How many stomachs does a goat have? Just one.
  • ‘Stands for cows’ – online quiz: the answer is ‘plural’!
  • How old is a cow? Up to 20 years.

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