Ruminant animals are animals that have a stomach with four compartments: the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. They include animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and antelope.
Ruminants swallow the same food two times in a process known as chewing the cud. Cud consists of large, non-digestible pieces of plant matter that must be regurgitated, chewed a second time and swallowed again in preparation for the digestion of the food. This action is referred to as chewing the cud. It is done to further break down cellulose content, which is difficult to digest.