Many animals are born with multiple similar organs, such as animals having multiple stomachs.
Animals with multiple stomachs can digest their food differently, allowing them to live normally.
Animals with multiple stomachs are known as ruminants, after the term “rumen,” which refers to a part of the stomach.
As a result, animals with four stomachs are commonly referred to as ruminants.
Pseudo-ruminants, on the other hand, are animals having three stomachs.
These extra stomachs assist these animals in digesting their food and gaining additional nutrients as needed.
1. Reindeer
Number of stomachs: 4
Reindeers are among the animals with multiple stomachs. Reindeer are herbivores native to Alaska, Canada, Greenland, northern Europe, and northern Asia.
Their grey-brown fur and antlers differentiate them. Reindeer are used as a food, milk, and transportation source in many regions.
On the other hand, brown bears, polar bears, and wolves frequently hunt on reindeer. Reindeer populations are threatened by overhunting and classified as vulnerable species.
Reindeer are ruminants, just like the rest of the deer family. Ruminants “chew the cud” and have four stomachs.
This means they chew their food thoroughly enough to swallow it and store it in the first stomach (the rumen).
The food is broken down even further in the second stomach (the reticulum) before being burped back into their mouth to be eaten again.
This is known as chewing the cud and is often done while they are sleeping. The meal is then swallowed and absorbed into the third stomach (the omasum).
Finally, it is delivered to the abomasum, where it is further broken down before being delivered to the intestines, where nutrients are absorbed.
2. Cows
Number of stomachs: 4
Cows have four separate stomach chambers that help them digest everything they eat, making them maybe the most well-known animal with more than one stomach.
The Rumen, Reticulum, Omasum, and Abomasum are the four stomachs. Each portion of a cow’s enormous gastrointestinal system specializes in helping the animal digest its food slowly and obtain all its nutrients.
They chew and swallow their food before returning it to their mouths to chew again. Chewing their cud is a crucial aspect of a cow’s digestive and stomach system since it allows them to precisely break down the food they’re eating.
3. Camel
Number of stomachs: 3
One of the animals with multiple stomachs is a camel. Camels are unique animals known for their humps on their backs and their ability to thrive in Africa and the Middle East’s harsh desert climates.
The dromedary (single hump), Bactrian (two humps), and Wild Bactrian are the three species that still exist today (also two humps).
Camels have been tamed for a long time and are an important mode of transportation in the desert.
Camels have adapted to the hot climate in various ways, including living for days without water.
They accomplish this by storing fatty tissue in their humps that can be converted to water. Camels have three stomachs, like the other camelids (alpacas and llamas).
4. Cachalot Whales
Number of stomachs: 4
The stomach system of the cachalot or sperm whale is especially fascinating, as these animals have four stomachs.
However, their digestive systems differ slightly from those of cows and deer. These species of whales, for example, have teeth but cannot chew their food.
As a result, the first chamber of their gastrointestinal system assists them in breaking down and crushing this food into tiny pieces.
The muscles in the initial region of the stomach aid the organ in its task. After that, food is digested in the second chamber before moving to the next two portions.
The food of sperm whales differs from that of the other ruminants on this list. Since most other animals on this island graze on plants, their four-chambered stomachs aid in digesting their low-energy diets.
Sperm whales differ from other whales because they eat other fish species in the ocean.
5. Alligators
Number of stomachs: 2
Alligators are large carnivorous reptiles found in freshwater lakes, rivers, and swamps in the United States, Mexico, and China.
The most visible difference between them and crocodiles is their snout shape, normally black or greenish-brown with white undersides.
Crocodiles have a thin, pointed nose, whereas alligators have considerably shorter and rounder snouts.
Their snout has incredible strength, allowing them to crush prey like turtles and small mammals.
Alligators have two stomachs, one for eating and one for digesting their prey. The first half contains gastroliths (stones) to grind up the meal, while the second part is extremely acidic to break down the remaining food so that it may be digested.
6. Moose
Number of stomachs: 4
Moose have huge stomachs divided into four sections, comparable to cows and deer. Moose feed on plants and have a low-energy diet by nature.
As a result, their system is designed to help them extract and store as much energy as possible from their meal.
Their four-chamber stomach mechanism also allows them to re-chew and re-swallow food they’ve already consumed, breaking it down into smaller, more digestible pieces.
7. Kangaroo
Number of stomachs: 2
Kangaroos are the largest of the Macropodidae family’s four members. They are marsupials with two stomach chambers native to Australia and New Guinea.
Kangaroos are herbivores who prefer to graze on grass and plants. They regurgitate food and chew it again, but because chewing the cud is more difficult, they do not chew it as often as ruminants.
Kangaroos can be identified by their characteristic hopping motion, which is enabled by their muscular back legs and long tails.
The largest kangaroos can grow 8 feet tall and reach a top speed of 43 mph. Males usually “box” by grappling and balancing on their tails while kicking each other in the stomach with their back legs.
Many kangaroos’ natural predators are now extinct, but dingos, eagles, and goannas still exist.
8. Hippopotamus
Number of stomachs: 3
Since they have three stomach chambers, hippopotamuses are classified as pseudo-ruminant animals rather than ruminants.
Ruminants are animals that have four stomachs, such as deer and cows. The parietal blind sac, the stomach, and the glandular stomach make up a hippo’s stomach.
Hippos do not regurgitate their food or chew their cud since they do not ruminate like cows and deer.
Hippos are grazers who feed on plants while being omnivorous. Their digestive system enables them to extract the most energy from the plant-based, low-energy foods they consume regularly.
Even though they only have three stomachs, their digestive system is considered one of the most sophisticated and interesting in most animals.
9. Ostrich
Number of stomachs: 3
Ostriches are among the animals with multiple stomachs. Ostriches are large, flightless birds found only in Africa.
They are also the fastest land birds, reaching speeds of 43 mph. The common ostrich and the Somali ostrich are the two kinds of ostrich that exist, and both can grow to be around 9 feet tall.
Ostriches have long necks, lengthy legs, and small heads. Females are grey and brown, with white wings and tails, whereas males are black.
Ostriches are found in savannas and deserts, where they eat seeds, grass, bushes, insects, and small reptiles.
Ostriches have three stomachs and an exceptionally lengthy intestine, which makes them unique. Since they lack teeth, they ingest small stones to aid in the digestion of their food.
As a result, they require three stomachs to digest all the different foods they consume. The stomach’s ventriculus is where they keep stones and pebbles to crush their meal. Some ostriches even have 2 pounds of stones in their stomachs.
10. Dolphins
Number of stomachs: 3
Dolphins are clever aquatic mammals that can be found all over the globe. There are 40 different species of dolphins, and they can be found in every ocean and even freshwater rivers.
They range in size from 6 feet long to 31 feet long and belong to the dolphin family.
Dolphins can dive to depths of up to 1,000 feet and eat various fish, squid, and crustaceans. Although most dolphins have three stomachs, some have only two.
Since dolphins do not chew their food, the first stomach breaks it down into smaller bits, while the second and third stomachs handle the rest of the digestion.
11. Giraffe
Number of stomachs: 4
Giraffes are one of the animals with multiple stomachs, the world’s tallest living animals, and the largest ruminants.
There are nine subspecies of these magnificent animals that are native to Africa. Giraffes are easily identified by their tall necks and distinctive tan and white coat patterns.
They can reach a staggering 20 feet in height, allowing them to reach foliage at the tops of trees that other animals cannot.
Giraffes prefer to eat from acacia trees and reside in savannahs and open forest settings. They have four stomach chambers, with the first adapting to their acacia-based diet.
Giraffes eat most of the day and ingest approximately 75 pounds of leaves daily.
Giraffes live in herds with adult females and young males living in separate bachelor herds. Adults have a high survival rate, with most living to be around 38 years old.
Adults are mainly only preyed on by lions because of their size and powerful hindlegs, which can deliver a devastating kick to a predator.
On the other hand, leopards, hyenas, and wild dogs frequently feed on calves, with only about half reaching adulthood.
Unfortunately, giraffes are in decline and are classified as vulnerable, while numerous subspecies are threatened.
