CLASSIFICATION OF ANIMALS

CONTENT

1. Classification of Animals
2. Monogastric or Non-ruminant Animals
3. Polygastric or Ruminant Animals
4. Differences between Mono-gastric and Poly-gastric Animals

Classification of Animals

Animals are classified according to diverse purposes like habitat, relationship with man, mode of feeding, to mention but a few.

Animal classified based on habitat e.g. terrestrial animal and aquatic animal etc. Those classified according to relationship with man are wild animals and domestic animals.

A domestic animal is an animal that man has been able to tame, control and has been freely reproducing under his supervision. Examples of domestic animals include goat, sheep, camel, donkey, rabbit, pig, cattle, poultry, bee, grasscutter, snail, fishes.

The domesticated animals can further be classified based on their mode of nutrition into the following:

1. Non-ruminant animals
2. Ruminant animals.

Monogastric or Non-ruminant Animals

These are animals which possess only one stomach and do not ruminate. They have simple stomachs and cannot digest cellulose and fibre properly, e.g. pig, rabbit, poultry, birds.

Polygastric or Ruminant Animals

These are farm animals that possess four stomach chambers hence can ruminate.