Ruminantes

Ruminants are a diverse group of herbivorous mammals that feed primarily on plant material and ferment cellulose in a specialized stomach before digestion. They possess a four-chambered stomach used for foregut fermentation: the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. Microorganisms in the rumen break down cellulose, producing volatile fatty acids that provide most of the energy. After fermentation, partially digested material is regurgitated as cud, chewed again, and swallowed for further digestion. This adaptation enables efficient use of fibrous forage.

Ruminants form a clade within the order Artiodactyla, commonly grouped under the suborder Ruminantia. The major modern families include Bovidae (cattle, sheep, goats, antelopes), Cervidae (deer), Giraffidae (giraffes), and Antilocapridae (pronghorns). Primitive or more basal ruminants such as chevrotains historically occupied the Tragulina lineage, but modern classifications place most living species in Ruminantia. Some other grazing species, such as camels, have a three-chambered stomach and are not true ruminants.

Their diets are mainly herbivorous, including grasses, leaves, and forbs, with feeding strategies ranging from grazing to browsing. Their dental adaptations typically involve a dental pad on the upper jaw and well-developed cheek teeth for grinding plant matter, reflecting their fibrous diets.

Ruminants are economically important for human societies for meat, milk, hides, and draft power, and they play key roles in many ecosystems as large herbivores. Conservation status varies; many species face habitat loss and hunting pressures.