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The digestion takes place in ruminants in the following steps:-

 Animals swallow the grass quickly with half-chewed in their mouth and it enters
into rumen.
 Rumen-Some cellulose digesting bacteria or microorganisms act on the food to
digest the cellulose present in it. And food gets partially digested which is called
cud.

 Reticulum- The partially digested food is then pushed to the reticulum. From
reticulum, it is sent back to the mouth as cud for further chewing. This process is
called chewing the cud or rumination.

 Omasum- When the food is completely chewed in mouth, it directly reaches the
omasum where water present in the food is partially absorbed.The food is then
pushed to the abomasum.

 Abomasum- In this chamber, gastric juices are secreted and digestion isfurther
carried on, as in human beings. As digestion takes place in the presence of
digestive juices hence, it is called the true stomach of ruminants.

 Small intestine-Digestion is completed and digested food is absorbed in this
organ.

 Large intestine-Undigested food is passed on to the large intestine and
eventually egested out from the body.

Digestive system of ruminants Digestive system of human beings.

 Ruminants have 4-chambered  Humans have 1-chambered
stomach. stomach.

 Cellulose digesting bacteria  Cellulose digesting bacteria
present to digest cellulose. absent.