Adaptation of Animals – Feeding Habits of Herbivores

Description

Adaptation of Animals – Feeding Habits of Herbivores

Herbivores are mammals that feed on plants.

Herbivores can be classified in two different ways as follows:

• ruminants and non-ruminants
• grazers or browsers.

Activity 1: Understanding ruminant and non-ruminant herbivores

•  Ruminants: These are animals that chew cud.  Chewing cud means swallowing food and then bringing it back to the mouth for rechewing.  Ruminants have four stomach chambers namely rumen, reticulum, omasum and  abomasum.

 Practical exercise:  Watch the video below on ruminant nutrition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPGoVQW7J8U

Note: In ruminants, cellulose and roughage digestion takes place in the rumen.

Practical exercise 1: Below are examples of ruminants.

• Non-ruminants: These are animals that do not chew cud.  They have only one stomach.  They include horses, rhinoceros, donkeys and rabbits.

Practice exercise 2:  Below are examples of non-ruminants (rabbit, donkey, horse, rhino)

Activity 2: Understanding grazer and browser herbivores

Herbivores can also be classified as either grazers or browsers.

Note: Some animals like goats are both grazers and browsers.

Activity 4: Feeding adaptations in herbivores

• Herbivores are animals that feed on plant material.
• Herbivores have a diastema (a toothless gap) which is found on the lower jaw in between their teeth.  The diastema facilitates turning of food during chewing.
• Herbivores do not have incisors on their upper jaw. The jaw is instead modified into a hard pad (horny pad) which they use for:
  • holding food tightly
  • tearing and cutting food
• Premolars and molars of herbivores grow throughout their lives because they wear out during chewing.
• Animals like cattle have long tongues to enable them hold food. The tongues are also rough to prevent food from slipping away.
• Giraffe have long necks so as to easily reach high branches of trees.