Cows:
* Mouth: Cows have a wide mouth with strong, rough tongues that help them grasp and pull grass.
* Teeth: Cows have specialized teeth for chewing. They have incisors in the front for biting off grass, and molars in the back for grinding it up.
* Rumen: This is the largest part of a cow's stomach. It's where bacteria break down tough plant material, like grass and hay.
* Reticulum: This part of the stomach acts like a filter, trapping large pieces of food and passing smaller pieces on.
* Omasum: This is where water is absorbed from the digested food.
* Abomasum: This is the "true" stomach, where digestive juices break down the food further.
Horses:
* Mouth: Horses also have a large mouth with a strong, flexible tongue to grasp and pull grass.
* Teeth: Like cows, they have incisors for biting and molars for grinding. Horses have a different tooth structure than cows, though, with a gap (called a "diastema") between their incisors and molars.
* Esophagus: This tube connects the mouth to the stomach.
* Stomach: Unlike cows, horses have a single-chambered stomach.
* Small Intestine: This is where most of the nutrients are absorbed.
* Large Intestine: This is where water is absorbed and waste is formed.
Key Differences:
* Ruminant vs. Non-Ruminant: Cows are ruminants, meaning they have a multi-chambered stomach that allows them to digest tough plant material more efficiently. Horses are non-ruminants, with a single stomach.
* Continuous Grazers: Horses graze continuously throughout the day, while cows tend to graze in larger chunks of time.
Let me know if you want to learn more about any specific part of the digestive system!