Rumen

The rumen, also known as a paunch, forms the larger part of the reticulorumen, which is the first chamber in the alimentary canal of ruminant animals. It serves as the primary site for microbial fermentation of ingested feed. The smaller part of the reticulorumen is the reticulum, which is fully continuous with the rumen, but differs from it with regard to the texture of its lining.

Brief anatomy

The rumen is composed of several muscular sacs, the cranial sac, ventral sac, ventral blindsac, and reticulum.

The lining of the rumen wall is covered in small fingerlike projections called papillae, which are flattened, approximately 5 mm in length and 3 mm wide in cattle. The reticulum (derived from the Latin for net ) is lined with ridges that form a hexagonal honeycomb pattern. The ridges are approximately 0.1 - 0.2 mm wide and are raised 5 mm above the reticulum wall. The hexagons in the reticulum are approximately 2–5 cm wide in cattle. These features increase the surface area of the reticulorumen wall, facilitating the absorption of volatile fatty acids. Despite the differences in the texture of the lining of the two parts of the reticulorumen, it represents one functional space.

Rumen (given name)

Rumen is a given name, and may refer to: