ADAPTATIONS IN HERVIVOROUS AND

CARNIVOROUS MAMMALS

1. Dentition
Insert YES in PURPLE, only where applicable under the
headings of carnivore and herbivore.

NOTES CARNIVORE HERBIVORE

a. Plant eaters.

b. Do not produce cellulose

digesting enzyme.

c. Extensive chewing in the

mouth by mastication.

d. Manipulate food by
tongue using toothless gab
called diastema.

e. Pointed canines.

f. Broad, ridged and cusped

premolars and molars.

g. Horny pad is absent.

h. Incisors are present.

i. Stomach can have
multiple chambers.

j. Temporalis is the major

jaw muscle.

k. Masseter is the major jaw

muscle.

l. Very long small intestines.

m. Jaw moves up and down.

n. 4th premolar carnassial

teeth absent.

o. Teeth stop growing

throughout their lives.

2. HERBIVORES
Insert YES in PURPLE, only where applicable under the
headings of ruminants and non- ruminants.
NOTES RUMINANTS NON-
RUMINANTS

a. Hind gut fermenters.

b. Monogastric.
c. Have rumen with four
chambers.

d. Have very large caecum.

e. Food chewed once.

f. Regurgitate food and

swallow food twice.

g. Re-eat their faeces, a

process called coprophagy.

h. Prominent microbial
digestion using cellulose
digesting bacteria.

i. Fermentation occurs in
the chambers.

j. Secrete hydrochloric acid

in omasum and abomasum
for protein digestion.

k. Alimentary canal
produces cellulose digesting
enzyme.

l. Absorption at caecum.

m. Can eat new grass while

old grass is still fermenting.

n. End- products ethanoic

acid, butyric acid and
propanoic acid are
reabsorbed and used as
source of energy.

o. Large volumes of
methane gas is produced as
by-product.