Pseudoruminant is a classification of animals based on their digestive tract differing from the ruminants. Hippopotami and camels are ungulate mammals with a three-chambered stomach (ruminants have a four-chambered stomach) while equids (horses, asses, zebras) and rhinoceroses are monogastric herbivores.Fowler, M.E. (2010). "Medicine and Surgery of Camelids", Ames, Iowa: Wiley-Blackwell. Chapter 1 General Biology and Evolution addresses the fact that camelids (including llamas and camels) are not ruminants, pseudo-ruminants, or modified ruminants.
Anatomy Like ruminants, some pseudoruminants may use foregut fermentation to break down cellulose in fibrous plant species (while most others are hindgut fermenters with a large cecum). But they have three-chambered stomachs (while others are monogastric) as opposed to ruminant stomachs which have four compartments.
Species
+ Pseudoruminant Image Genus Weight Common hippopotamus Hippopotamus 1.5 to 3.0 tons Horse Equus 380 to 999 kg One-horned rhinoceros Rhinoceros 1.8 to 2.7 tons Rabbit Oryctolagus 1 to 2.5 kg
See also
Traditional ruminant
References
Fowler, M. E. (2008). "Camelids Are Not Ruminants", Zoo and Wild Animal Medicine, Chapter 46. Jan:375-385. PMCID: PMC7152308. https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC7152308