Eli5: How is it that Cows can consume the same fibrous grass that makes every other herbivores scat into tight balls, somehow manage to produce turds of such low density as to be called “cow patties”? ?

Question

Eli5: How is it that Cows can consume the same fibrous grass that makes every other herbivores scat into tight balls, somehow manage to produce turds of such low density as to be called “cow patties”? ?

In: Biology

Answer 1

This is a little different than OP, and doesn’t need to be ELI5, but can someone explain why cows poop differ from sheep/goats when all are ruminants then?

They’re going to be different than hindgut fermenters which is kinda the root of OPs question, but goat scat versus a cow’s are very different even though they’re in the same family (Bovidae)