Sunday 17 April 2011

There is a Monkey, Eat like a Cow


Ruminant animals, like cows, are known to have four stomachs. Kala eat, food will go to one of the abdominal cavity and then vomited again into the mouth. Thereafter, then other food into the stomach and absorbed by the intestines and waste excreted through the anus.

How to eat it was initially found in ruminant animals. But recently scientists have found that long nose monkey or bekantan (Nasalis larvatus), which berhabitat in Sungai Kinabatangan, Malaysia, also have similar behavior. Monkey vomited again food that is swallowed to be chewed again.

Ikku Matsuda of Kyoto University Primate Institute is the scientist who discovered the behavior. He collected data by videotape since 2000-2001. Based on the data, at least 23 long nose monkeys have behavioral regurgitate and chew food like a cow.

Matsuda elaborate, long nose monkey stomach will contract when they wanted to regurgitate food. At the same time, the monkey will stick his tongue out of his mouth is shut tight. Foods that come out will be some time in the mouth before swallowing for the second time.

According to Matsuda, the behavior of monkeys is related to the structure of the digestive organs. "Long nose monkey gastrointestinal tract is different from humans and monkeys. This species has a special structure in which the stomach for digestion by the bacteria took place prior to chemical digestion," he said.

Matsuda speculate that this behavior allows a long nose monkeys eat more in certain circumstances. He also said, "This means, long nose monkey can eat more quickly because the bacteria do not need much time to digest."

Long nose monkeys usually takes various kinds of leaves and fruit. This type of animal diet very rich in fiber. Although the type of food and animal digestive organ structure of this type are known, Matsuda could not associate food with rumination behavior owned.

Responding to this research, professor of the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the Justus Liebig University, said, "It is important to explain that rumination in animals such as cows regurgitate and chew food again in mammals are different physiological processes."
Bekantan (Nasalis larvatus)

Professor who wrote the book Mammalian Herbivore "Stomach: Comparative Anatomy, Function and Evolution, said that koalas also have similar behavior. However, they only do so under certain conditions, such as teeth have been dated or need more food because of breastfeeding.

Matsuda said that his study only focused on certain monkey population so that behavior may be learned by tradition. "Tradition, especially in feeding behavior, have been reported in primates, for example (monkey) Macaca that washing food or spice it with salt water. We can not ignore that tradition," he said.

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