What is a Ruminant?  Goats are ruminants. A cow, a type of
ruminant. Article Details   • Written By: Mary McMahon   •
Edited By: Bronwyn Harris   • Last Modified Date: 18 February
2014   • Copyright Protected:     Conjecture Corporation   •
Print this Article Free Widgets for your Site/Blog   A ruminant
is an animal with a stomach that has multiple compartments,
allowing it to extract nutrition from grasses, hay, and other
cellulose-rich foods which other animals usually find
indigestible. Another trait of ruminants is that they partially
regurgitate their food to help the digestive process; this
partially broken down food is known as a “cud,” and these
animals often have a thoughtful expression on their faces while
they chew their cuds. This explains the origins of the name,
which is derived from the Latin ruminare, the same root for the
word “ruminate” as in “to think.”  Almost all ruminants are in
the class Ruminatia, although camelids like llamas and camels
are also ruminants, and they are found in a diff