Which of the following species is considered a hindgut-fermenter?

Hindgut fermenters are animals that have a specialized digestive system that allows them to ferment feed in the large intestine, primarily the cecum and colon, rather than in the stomach or rumen. This adaptation is important for efficiently breaking down fibrous plant materials, such as grasses.

Horses exemplify hindgut fermenters as they possess a large cecum that serves as the primary site for microbial fermentation. This structure allows them to digest cellulose from plant material effectively, enabling the absorption of nutrients arising from this fermentation process. The fermentation process in the hindgut is particularly advantageous for herbivorous animals like horses, as it allows for the processing of a high-fiber diet that is common to their natural grazing behavior.

In contrast, dogs and cats are classified as foregut fermenters or simple stomach animals, where most digestion occurs in the stomach and small intestine rather than the hindgut. Cows, on the other hand, are ruminants, which means they have a multi-chambered stomach that includes a rumen where fermentation takes place primarily before digestion in the intestines, rather than in the hindgut.

Therefore, the correct identification of a hindgut-fermenter among the given choices is the horse, because of