Cows are ruminants1 – mammals with specialised digestive systems2 that use fermentation3 processes to gain nutrients4 from plant material. Cattle, sheep, horses, deer, goats and camels are also ruminants. They are herbivorous or secondary producers in food chains and have adaptations5 to allow them to thrive on a plant-only diet.
In this online activity, students will learn about the structural and functional aspects of a cow’s digestive system.
The Ruminant digestion article and image map will give additional support for your students’ learning about a cow’s digestive system.
The ruminant6 digestion labelling activity can also be used as a formative or summative tool for learning.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
- identify structures in a cow’s digestive passage
- understand the functions of parts of a cow’s digestive system.
The paper-based activities in the downloadable Word document provide opportunities to deepen understanding about the ruminant digestive system with an additional mix and match activity.
Download the Word file (see link below).
Related content
The articles Dairy farming key terms and Ruminant digestion will support learning in this area.
Dairy farming and climate change – a context for learning offers further resources.
Find out more information about soil, farming and science.
The article Farm management practices describes ways to minimise nutrient7 leaching8.
Find out more about inhibiting nitrification.
Find out more about pasture types.
Explore how to measure pasture mass and pasture composition.
Discover a range of resources in our Ruminants Pinterest collection.
Useful link
The DairyNZ FeedRight resources provide more in-depth information about feed, digestion and cow nutrition.
Acknowledgement
This resource has been produced with the support of DairyNZ.
- ruminants: Herbivorous, hoofed mammals, for example, sheep, cattle, deer and camels, that have a complex 3 or 4-chambered stomach. They use a fermentation process in their rumen to break down plant material.
- digestive system: The group of organs that are involved in the breakdown of food in the body, which includes the stomach and intestines.
- fermentation: The chemical breakdown of molecules like glucose in the absence of oxygen. Fermentation is used to create food products such as beer, wine, kombucha, bread and yoghurt. In ruminants, microbial populations ferment feed and water into volatile fatty acids and gases – methane and carbon dioxide.
- nutrient: A substance that provides nourishment for growth or metabolism.
- adaptation: A change in the structure or function of something. In biology, a change in a species, as a result of natural selection. Individuals with a particular feature (adaptation) are more likely to survive and reproduce than individuals without this feature.
- ruminants: Herbivorous, hoofed mammals, for example, sheep, cattle, deer and camels, that have a complex 3 or 4-chambered stomach. They use a fermentation process in their rumen to break down plant material.
- nutrient: A substance that provides nourishment for growth or metabolism.
- leaching: When a compound becomes dissolved in water and moves from one place to another, for example, a fertiliser in the soil dissolves in rain water and ends up in a stream.
