Does a Cow Have a Cecum

The cecum is a large blind pouch at the beginning of the large intestine, approximately 3 feet long with a 2-gallon capacity in the mature cow. The cecum serves little function in a ruminant, unlike its role in horses. The colon is the site of most of the water absorption in the large intestine.

What does the cecum do in a cow?

The cecum is the large area where the small and large intestine meet. The cecum breaks down some previously undigested fiber, but the exact importance of the cecum remains unknown. The large intestine is the last section of the tract that undigested feedstuffs pass through.

What animals have a functioning cecum?

The caecum in the rabbit, rat and guinea pig is greatly enlarged to provide a “fermentation vat” for micro-organisms to break down the cellulose plant cell walls. This is called a functional caecum (see diagram 11.12).