Do you know how many stomachs a cow has?

Do you know how many stomachs a cow has? Cattle and we humans are not the same, cattle are the most representative herbivores, it has four stomachs, namely rumen, honeycomb stomach, double stomach and abomasum, let's take a look at these stomachs of cattle!

rumen

The rumen volume of adult cows can reach 151 liters and can store 136 kilograms of contents. The rumen functions are as follows: ① temporary storage of feed.② Microbial fermentation.

reticulum

The honeycomb stomach is located at the front of the rumen, and in fact the two stomachs are not completely separated, so feed particles can move freely between them. Honeycomb stomach endothelium has honeycomb-like tissue, so commonly known as honeycomb stomach. The main function of the honeycomb stomach is to act as a sieve in which heavy objects, such as nails and wire, are present when ingested with feed.

double stomach

The double stomach is the third stomach, and its inner surface is lined with organized folds. The function of the double stomach is not very clear, it is generally believed that its main function is to absorb water in the feed and squeeze and grind the feed.

abomasum

The abomasum of cattle is also called the abomasum. Its function is the same as that of the stomach of monogastric animals, secreting digestive juices and wetting chyme. The digestive juices of the abomasum contain enzymes that can digest some proteins and basically do not digest fat, cellulose or starch. Feed leaves the abomasum as water and then reaches the small intestine for further digestion. Undigested material is excreted through the large intestine.

After eating, the food flows through these four stomach chambers in sequence, and part of it returns to the oral cavity before entering the double stomach and then masticates. The process is called "rumination". These four stomach chambers are not connected in a straight line, but exist alternately.