Difference Between Ruminant and Non Ruminant Animals

Ruminant Non Ruminant

Animals that chew and regurgitate their food Animals that digest food in one stomach.
Definition more than once, and digest it multiple times
in different stomachs.

Herbivores, which consume plant material as Omnivores or carnivores, thus consuming

Type of Diet
food. both plant and animal materials.

They have a complex stomach with four They have a simple stomach with a single
Stomach
compartments. compartment.

Their system is long, the length of the small Their digestive system is short.
intestine and the colon is higher in ruminant
Length
animals.

Enzymes to Digest They do not produce enzymes for protein They have such enzymes.
Proteins digestion.

Canines They have two blunt canines. They have four sharp canines.

Premolars and The premolars and molars of the ruminant They move in the vertical direction.
Molars animals move in the lateral direction.

They produce more saliva with no They produce less saliva with carbohydrate
Saliva
carbohydrate digestive enzymes. digestive enzymes.

Regurgitation They undergo regurgitation. They do not undergo regurgitation.

The liver of the ruminant animals is large The liver of the non-ruminant animals is
Liver
comparatively small.

They take a longer time to digest plant They take comparatively less time for their
Time Taken to
material. Also, ruminant animals digest all digestion. Also, non-ruminant animals do
Digest Food
plant carbohydrates including cellulose. not digest cellulose.

Some ruminant animals include cattle, Some non-ruminant animals include human,

Examples sheep, goats, buffalo, deer, elk, giraffes and horse, swine, fowl, dog, and rabbit.
camels.

Biography: Lakna. (June 19, 2018). Difference Between Ruminant and Non Ruminant Animals.
Recovered: https://pediaa.com/difference-between-ruminant-and-non-ruminant-animals/