This MCQ module is based on: Digestion in Other Animals — Grass-Eaters and More
TOPIC 32 OF 46
Digestion in Other Animals — Grass-Eaters and More
🎓 Class 7
Science
CBSE
Theory
Ch 9 — Life Processes in Animals
⏱ ~14 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]
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9.4 Not All Animals Eat the Same Way
Humans are omnivores — we eat both plants and animals. But most animals are choosy. A cow never chases a mouse; a lion never grazes on grass. Their teeth, stomachs and digestive systems are shaped by millions of years of living on a particular kind of food.
Think first: Have you ever watched a buffalo resting in the shade, moving its jaw slowly from side to side even though no fresh grass is in front of it? What do you think is happening inside its mouth?
9.5 Digestion in Grass-Eating Animals (Ruminants)
Cows, buffaloes, goats, deer and giraffes belong to a group of animals called ruminants. Grass is made mainly of cellulose, a tough material that humans cannot digest. Ruminants get around this with a clever four-step trick.
The Four-Chambered Stomach
- Rumen: The first and largest chamber. Swallowed grass is stored here and softened by trillions of helpful bacteria that can break cellulose.
- Reticulum: Rolls the softened grass into small balls called cud.
- Omasum: After the cud is re-chewed and swallowed again, this chamber squeezes out water.
- Abomasum: The "true" stomach, similar to ours, where protein digestion happens with gastric juice.
Regurgitation and Chewing the Cud
After grazing in the morning, a cow sits quietly and brings small balls of food (cud) back from the rumen into her mouth. This movement of food from the stomach back up to the mouth is called regurgitation. She chews the cud slowly and carefully before swallowing again — this time the cud moves through the other three chambers for full digestion.
9.6 Feeding in Amoeba — A One-Celled Animal
Amoeba is a tiny single-celled organism found in pond water. It has no mouth, no teeth, no stomach — yet it eats, digests and grows. How?
When Amoeba senses a tiny food particle nearby, it stretches out finger-like extensions of its body called pseudopodia ("false feet"). Two pseudopodia surround the food from both sides and fuse, trapping it inside a tiny bag called a food vacuole. Inside the vacuole, digestive juices break the food down. The useful nutrients pass into the surrounding cell body. Any leftover, undigested bits are pushed out when the Amoeba briefly opens a spot on its surface. This pattern — engulf, digest inside a vacuole, throw out waste — is called holozoic nutrition.
9.7 Teeth of Herbivores, Carnivores and Omnivores
You can tell a lot about an animal's diet just by looking at its teeth. The mouth is shaped by food, not the other way around.
| Feature | Herbivore (cow, goat) | Carnivore (lion, tiger) | Omnivore (human, bear) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | Plants, grass, leaves | Flesh of other animals | Both plants and animals |
| Incisors | Flat, chisel-like (for cutting grass) | Small, sharp | Medium, sharp-edged |
| Canines | Very small or absent | Long, pointed, very strong | Short and pointed |
| Molars | Large, flat, broad (for grinding) | Sharp, jagged (for tearing) | Broad and flat-topped |
| Jaw motion | Side-to-side grinding | Up-and-down biting | Both |
| Digestive tract | Long (to digest cellulose) | Short (meat digests quickly) | Medium length |
Good to remember: You will never see sharp, dagger-like canines on a cow, nor broad grinding molars at the front of a lion's mouth. A tooth's shape always matches the animal's diet.
Activity 9.2 — Detective of the Jaws L4 Analyse
Below are clues about three animal skulls found in a zoo museum. Work out whether each animal was a herbivore, carnivore or omnivore.
- Skull A: Long sharp canines, jagged molars, short jaw.
- Skull B: No canines, flat ridged molars, long jaw that moves sideways.
- Skull C: Small canines, mix of flat and pointed teeth, medium jaw.
Predict: Which skull belongs to which type? Give reasons from the teeth.
Skull A — carnivore (sharp canines to kill, jagged molars to slice meat). Skull B — herbivore (no canines, broad molars and sideways jaw for grinding grass). Skull C — omnivore (a mix of tooth shapes for a mixed diet, like humans).
Competency-Based Questions
Apply & Reason — Other Animals' Digestion
Ananya visits her grandparents' farm. In the morning she sees the buffalo grazing fast. At noon, the buffalo is lying in the shade, eyes half closed, yet its jaws are still moving. Grandmother tells her, "She is eating her breakfast again."
Q1. What is the name of the process by which food comes back from the buffalo's stomach to its mouth? L1
(b) Regurgitation. Partly digested grass (cud) is sent back to the mouth for a second, careful chewing.
Q2. In which chamber of the buffalo's stomach is the grass first stored, and what makes this chamber special? L2
Grass is first stored in the rumen. It is the largest chamber and contains helpful bacteria that can break down cellulose — something the animal's own juices cannot do.
Q3. Amoeba does not have a mouth. How does it take food in? Describe briefly. L2
Amoeba pushes out temporary finger-like extensions called pseudopodia. These surround the food particle and fuse, trapping it in a food vacuole inside the cell. Digestive juices inside the vacuole break the food down.
Q4. Why does a cow have broad flat molars while a tiger has sharp jagged molars? L3
A cow eats grass, which needs to be ground into a soft paste; broad flat molars with sideways jaw movement do this well. A tiger eats meat, which must be sliced into pieces; jagged molars work like scissors. Each tooth shape matches the animal's food.
Q5. A scientist observes that a certain mammal's digestive tract is very long compared to its body. Is the animal more likely a herbivore or a carnivore? Justify. L4
More likely a herbivore. Plant food (cellulose) is hard to digest and needs a long tract to give bacteria and enzymes plenty of time to act. Meat is easier to digest, so carnivores usually have shorter tracts.
Assertion–Reason Questions
Choose: (A) Both true, R explains A. (B) Both true, R does not explain A. (C) A true, R false. (D) A false, R true.
A: A cow needs bacteria in its stomach to digest grass.
R: Cellulose cannot be digested by the cow's own digestive juices, but bacteria can break it down.
(A) — both true, and R explains A perfectly. Without its gut bacteria, a cow would starve on grass.
A: Amoeba can change its shape while catching food.
R: The pseudopodia of Amoeba are permanent finger-like structures.
(C) — A is true, but R is false. Pseudopodia are temporary; they appear and disappear as needed.
A: Lions do not have flat, broad molars.
R: Lions eat meat, which needs to be cut and torn, not ground.
(A) — both statements true, and R explains A. Tooth shape follows food type.
Frequently Asked Questions — Digestion in Other Animals — Grass-Eaters and More
What does the topic 'Digestion in Other Animals — Grass-Eaters and More' cover in Class 7 Science?
The topic 'Digestion in Other Animals — Grass-Eaters and More' is part of NCERT Class 7 Science Chapter 9 — Life Processes in Animals. It covers the key ideas of ruminants, rumen, cud, gizzard, amoeba, grass-eating animals, digestive strategies, explained through everyday examples, labelled diagrams and hands-on activities drawn from the NCERT Curiosity textbook. Students learn not just definitions but also the reasoning behind each concept so they can answer competency-based questions and assertion–reason items. The lesson helps Class 7 students build a strong base for higher classes by linking each idea to real observations at home, school and in nature, and by preparing them for CBSE school assessments and Olympiads.
Why is 'Digestion in Other Animals — Grass-Eaters and More' important for Class 7 NCERT Science?
'Digestion in Other Animals — Grass-Eaters and More' is important because it builds core scientific thinking that Class 7 students will use throughout middle and secondary school. NCERT Chapter 9 — Life Processes in Animals — introduces ruminants and related ideas that appear again in Class 8, 9 and 10 Science. Mastering this subtopic helps students read labels and safety signs, understand news about science and technology, and perform better in CBSE school exams. The chapter also encourages curiosity and evidence-based thinking — skills that support the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 focus on conceptual understanding and competency-based learning.
What are the key concepts students should remember from Digestion in Other Animals — Grass-Eaters and More?
The key concepts in 'Digestion in Other Animals — Grass-Eaters and More' for Class 7 Science are: ruminants, rumen, cud, gizzard, amoeba, grass-eating animals, digestive strategies. Students should be able to define each term in their own words, give at least one everyday example, and explain how the concept connects to other chapters in NCERT Class 7 Science. For example, linking the idea to daily life — in the kitchen, classroom or outdoors — makes revision easier. Writing short notes, drawing labelled diagrams and solving the NCERT in-text and exercise questions for Chapter 9 will help students retain these concepts for unit tests and the annual CBSE examination.
How is Digestion in Other Animals — Grass-Eaters and More taught using activities in NCERT Curiosity Class 7?
NCERT Curiosity Class 7 Science teaches 'Digestion in Other Animals — Grass-Eaters and More' using an inquiry-based approach with Predict–Observe–Explain activities. Students are asked to make a guess first, then perform a simple experiment with safe, easily available materials, and finally explain what they observed. This matches the NEP 2020 focus on learning by doing. For Chapter 9 — Life Processes in Animals — the textbook includes hands-on tasks, labelled diagrams and questions that build Bloom's Taxonomy skills from Remember (L1) to Create (L6). Teachers use these activities, along with competency-based questions (CBQs) and assertion–reason items, to check real understanding rather than rote memorisation.
What real-life examples of ruminants can Class 7 students observe at home?
Class 7 students can observe ruminants at home in many simple ways linked to 'Digestion in Other Animals — Grass-Eaters and More'. Kitchens, school bags, playgrounds and the night sky are full of examples that connect to NCERT Chapter 9 — Life Processes in Animals. For instance, students can check labels on food and cleaning products, watch changes while cooking, or observe the Sun and Moon across a week. Keeping a small science diary — noting the date, what was observed and a quick sketch — turns everyday life into a science lab. These real-life connections make concepts stick and prepare students well for competency-based questions in CBSE Class 7 Science.
How does 'Digestion in Other Animals — Grass-Eaters and More' connect to other chapters of Class 7 Science?
'Digestion in Other Animals — Grass-Eaters and More' connects to many other chapters in NCERT Class 7 Science Curiosity. The ideas of ruminants appear again when students study related topics like heat, light, changes, life processes and Earth-Sun-Moon. For example, understanding this subtopic helps in building mental models for later chapters and for Class 8, 9 and 10 Science. Teachers often use cross-chapter questions in CBSE examinations to test whether students can apply what they learned in Chapter 9 — Life Processes in Animals — to new situations. This integrated approach matches the NEP 2020 and NCF 2023 focus on holistic, competency-based learning.
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