Suckling causes a reflex action bringing the walls of the reticulum together to form an esophageal groove leading directly to the omasum. |
The reticulum is connected to the spherical omasum by a short tunnel. |
The rumen, reticulum and omasum can be compared to a kind of foregut fermentation chamber. |
Cattle have one stomach with four compartments, the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum, with the rumen being the largest compartment. |
Food taken into the rumen is later regurgitated into the mouth and completely masticated, then swallowed again and passed to the reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. |
The omasum is composed of numerous layers between which food is crushed. |