Ruminants are a type of herbivore animal that has a four-chamber stomach. They chew their food, regurgitate it back up, and then chew it again.
This digestive process is called chewing the cud. The word ruminant comes from the Latin word “rumen,” which means “to chew over.”
These include Chevrotains, Deer, Moose, Giraffe, Okapi, Pronghorn, Musk Deer, Cattle, Goats, Sheep, and Antelope.
Ruminant Examples: Bovine and Cattle Species
1. Anoa
Scientific Name | Anoa |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Sulawesi |
Diet | Herbivore |
The Anoa is a rare type of antelope that lives in the rainforests and swamps of western Africa. They are also known as dwarf cows due to their similar appearance to bovines, but much smaller size.
The largest males can grow up to three feet tall at the shoulder and weigh around 330 pounds – roughly half the size of a full-grown cow.
Their legs are also approximately half the length, which gives them an awkward gait that can be mistaken for clumsiness by predators. The adults have horns just like cows do, but calves’ horns are barely visible to the untrained eye.
2. Addax
Scientific Name | Addax nasomaculatus |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Niger |
Diet | Herbivore |
Addax is an antelope that lives in the Sahara Desert. They prefer to live alone and rely on their camouflage for protection from predators like lions, cheetahs, and hyenas.
3. Banteng
Scientific Name | Bos javanicus |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Bali and many eastern Indonesian islands |
Diet | Herbivore |
A Banteng is a type of animal that belongs to the subfamily Bovinae. They are closely related to bison and cattle, but they look like wild bulls. The word “Banteng” comes from Indonesia where it was first discovered by Dutch naturalist Karel Schuver in 1879. In English, Banteng is also known as “Bos Javanicus.”
4. Bison
Scientific Name | Bison Bison |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | United States |
Diet | Herbivore |
A bison is a mammal and part of the Bovidae family. It has shaggy, dark brown fur with lighter underbellies. Male bison are called bulls, while females are referred to as cows or heifers if they have never had a calf before. Baby bison are known as calves. The American bison is a ruminant mammal. It eats grass and leaves from trees, shrubs, bushes, and other plants.
5. Bongo
Scientific Name | Tragelaphus eurycerus |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | West Africa |
Diet | Herbivore |
A bongo, sometimes called the lechwe or black lechwe antelope has an unusual habit of eating its food twice. This ruminant will regurgitate vegetation they have eaten and eat it again to access more nutrients from their diet. Because they are so large in size, they can eat large quantities of vegetation at one time.
6. Cape Buffalo
Scientific Name | Syncerus caffer |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Africa |
Diet | Herbivore |
Buffalos are ruminants that live in Africa and Asia. They have two horns on their head, with the larger one being called a scimitar horn because of its curved shape. Buffalos weigh about 660-2,200 pounds.
A buffalo is a large animal, capable of reaching up to five feet in height. The largest species are the water buffalos which live in Asia and Africa, but there are also smaller breeds found throughout Europe and North America. They have shaggy hair covering their body though they do not have horns like bison or cows.
7. Eland
Scientific Name | Taurotragus oryx |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Africa |
Diet | Herbivore |
The eland, which is also known as the African antelope, is one of many types of herbivores with four chambers in their stomachs. The other main group that includes this type of digestive system is called foregut fermenters.
Elands are ruminants, meaning they chew the cud like cows, sheep, and goats do. The male eland can grow up to six feet tall at the shoulder with an eight-foot stride length. Female elands are usually about five feet tall at the shoulder with a seven-foot stride length. Eland’s calves are born with a reddish-brown color that quickly changes to a light brown, and then finally darkens into the adult coat by six months of age.
Ruminant Examples: Ovine and Sheep Species
8. Argali
Scientific Name | Ovis ammon |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Kazakhstan and China |
Diet | Herbivore |
Argali is a type of wild sheep that live in the mountains. They can grow to be more than five feet tall, and their wool can weigh up to thirty-five pounds! The females are usually larger than males. Males have curved horns while females’ aren’t as curved.
Read Also: Do Argali Chew Cud?
9. Bighorn Sheep
Scientific Name | Ovis canadensis |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | North America |
Diet | Herbivore |
A Bighorn sheep is a type of ruminant. It is known for its massive, curved horns and the male’s habit of head-butting other males in battle during mating season. The bighorn also has a tough hoof that allows it to live at high altitudes where there aren’t many plants for food.
10. Domestic Sheep
Scientific Name | Ovis aries |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | World |
Diet | Herbivore |
A sheep eats grass, hay, and grains. A few kinds of ruminant animals are cattle, bison, goats, and deer. These four types of animals can regurgitate their food from a special stomach called the rumen back up to the mouth for more chewing when they have had enough to eat in one feeding session.
11. Mouflon
Scientific Name | Ovis aries musimon |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Corsica, Sardinia and Cyprus |
Diet | Herbivore |
The mouflon is a type of animal that falls into the category of animals that are ruminant. A Mouflon eats plants, grasses, and leaves found in mountainside meadows.
12. Snow Sheep
Scientific Name | Ovis nivicola |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Siberia |
Diet | Herbivore |
A snow sheep in one of the world’s most famous denizens. It is a large part of its life spent high up on mountains, where it finds food to eat and shelter from predators.
They eat vegetation such as grasses and other types of leaves that grow in these regions.
13. Thinhorn Sheep (aka Dall Sheep)
Scientific Name | Ovis dalli |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | North America |
Diet | Herbivore |
A thinhorn sheep eats grass, leaves, and other kinds of vegetation. They live in the mountains of North America and are also known as Dall sheep.
14. Urial
Scientific Name | Ovis vignei |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Himalayas, Karakoram, Hindu Kush |
Diet | Herbivore |
The Urial lives in semi-arid areas, hills, and mountains. They feed on grasses, forbs, shrubs, leaves, and plant residues. The diet depends upon the location of the animal. In some regions, it is mainly bushy plants, while in other places grasses are more abundant.
Ruminant Examples: Caprine and Goat-Antelope Species
15. Alpine Ibex
Scientific Name | Capra ibex |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Asia, Europe, and Northeastern Africa |
Diet | Herbivore |
Alpine ibexes live in the mountains of Eurasia and they eat grass, herbs, and sometimes shrubs. Their main predators are gray wolves and brown bears.
16. Arabian Tahr
Scientific Name | Arabitragus jayakari |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Mountains in Oman and the United Arab Emirates |
Diet | Herbivore |
Arabian tahrs are herbivores that feed on grasses, leaves, and fruit. They live in herds and live on large, steep slopes that other animals cannot climb for protection.
17. Bharal
Scientific Name | Pseudois nayaur |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Himalayas |
Diet | Herbivore |
Bharals are found in the Himalayan mountains, Ladakh, Uttar Pradesh, and Kashmir regions.
It is an herbivore that typically eats grasses. They can also be found eating leaves, shrubs, or trees if they cannot find enough grass to eat.
18. Barbary Sheep
Scientific Name | Ammotragus lervia |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | North America |
Diet | Herbivore |
A Barbary sheep eats grasses, leaves, fruit, and bark. Barbary sheep live in the mountains of North Africa in places like Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, northern Chad, and Egypt.
19. Chamois
Scientific Name | Rupicapra rupicapra |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Europe and the Middle East |
Diet | Herbivore |
A Chamois is a mountain goat-antelope native to the European continent. It lives in mountainous regions of Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and Western Asia. They are very social animals who live in groups of 4-8 members. The diet of a chamois consists mostly of grasses, leaves.
20. Chinese Goral
Scientific Name | Naemorhedus griseus |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | southeastern Asia |
Diet | Herbivore |
Chinese goral lives on leaves, young shoots, fruits, grasses, and bamboo sprouts found at different elevations.
21. Chinese Serow
Scientific Name | Capricornis sumatraensis |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos |
Diet | Herbivore |
A serow is a wild goat-antelope. A Chinese serow eats leaves, grasses, twigs, and bark of shrubs, bamboo shoots, fruits, and tree barks. It lives in forests in the mountains of Southeast Asia.
Ruminant Examples: Deer Species
22. Elk
Scientific Name | Cervus canadensis |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | North America |
Diet | Herbivore |
An elk is a ruminant animal, which means it has four stomachs. It eats grasses, leaves, berries, and twigs in the summertime to build up fat for winter or mating season.
23. Barasingha
Scientific Name | Rucervus duvaucelii |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | India and Nepal |
Diet | Herbivore |
The Barasingha or Swamp Deer are antelopes that are found in the dense tropical region of India. They have a distinct way of life by forming herds and living on wet marshy regions, browsing for leaves, stems, roots, grasses, and aquatic plants which they like to search for.
24. Bawean Deer
Scientific Name | Hyelaphus kuhlii |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Indonesia |
Diet | Herbivore |
A Bawean deer’s diet and habitat are they live in tropical and subtropical regions and eat leaves, grasses, fruits, lichens, and moss. They live in wet mountain forests or lowland swamps where they can avoid predators.
25. Brocket
Scientific Name | Mazama |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Central and South America |
Diet | Herbivore |
A Brocket is a type of deer that lives in Central America, North America, South America, Asia, and Africa. A Brocket eats grasses and other types of vegetation.
26. Calamian Deer
Scientific Name | Axis calamianensis |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Philippines |
Diet | Herbivore |
A Calamian deer lives in the forest of Palawan, Philippines. It feeds on leaves, flowers, and grasses.
The internal anatomy of this animal includes chewing cuds, four stomach chambers, and bacteria in its gut which aids digestion.
27. Chital
Scientific Name | Axis axis |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | India |
Diet | Herbivore |
A Chital can be described as a medium-sized ungulate that is ruminant. It eats grasses, leaves, and fruits, which are found in the jungle. This means it has to live in the jungle, specifically India.
28. Eld’s Deer
Scientific Name | Rucervus eldii |
Type of Animal | Mammal |
Range | Southeast Asia |
Diet | Herbivore |
Eld’s deer can live on a variety of plants, like shrubs and grasses. They eat about 0.5-1 kg (1-2 pounds) of food each day.
They are found throughout Southeast Asia in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
More Examples of Animals that Are Ruminant
• Auroch | • Lechwe | • Rusa deer |
• Antelope | • Long-tailed goral | • Saiga |
• Beira | • Maral deer | • Sambar deer |
• Blackbuck | • Markhor | • Saola |
• Bluebuck | • Marsh deer | • Siberian ibex |
• Bontebok | • Mindanao mountain deer | • Sika deer |
• Chevrotain | • Mindoro deer | • Sitatunga |
• Dibatag | • Moose | • Spanish ibex |
• Dik-dik | • Mountain goat | • Springbok |
• Duiker | • Mule deer | • Steenbok |
• Dwarf blue sheep | • Muntjac | • Sumatran serow |
• Eurasian elk | • Musk deer | • Suni |
• Fallow deer | • Muskox | • Swamp deer |
• Four-horned antelope | • Nildai | • Taiwan serow |
• Gaur | • Nilgiri tahr | • Takin |
• Gayal | • Nubian ibex | • Tamaraw |
• Gazelle | • Nyala | • Taruca |
• Gerenuk | • Okapi | • Thamin |
• Giraffe | • Oribi | • Thorold’s deer |
• Goa | • Oryx | • Topi |
• Grey goral | • Pampas deer | • Tsessebe |
• Grysbok | • Père David’s deer | • Tufted deer |
• Hartebeest | • Philippine sambar | • Walia ibex |
• Himalayan serow | • Prince Alfred’s deer | • Water buffalo |
• Himalayan tahr | • Pronghorn | • Water deer |
• Hog deer | • Pudú | • Waterbuck |
• Huemul | • Puku | • West Caucasian tur |
• Imbabala | • Pyrenean chamois | • White-tailed deer |
• Impala | • Red deer | • Wild goat |
• Japanese serow | • Red serow | • Wild yak |
• Kéwel | • Reedbuck | • Wildebeest |
• Klipspringer | • Reg goral | • Wisent |
• Kob | • Reindeer or caribou | • Yak |
• Kouprey | • Rhebok | • Zebu |
• Kudu | • Roe deer | • Zeren |
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Hi, I’m Garreth. Living in South Africa I’ve had the pleasure of seeing most of these animals up close and personal. When I was younger I always wanted to be a game ranger but unfortunately, life happens and now at least I get to write about them and tell you my experiences.