What structure do ruminants like cattle, sheep, and goats have instead of upper incisors?

Ruminants such as cattle, sheep, and goats possess a dental pad instead of upper incisors. This adaptation is significant for their feeding habits. The dental pad is a tough, dense structure made of gum tissue that allows these animals to effectively grasp and tear plant material. When they graze, ruminants use their lower incisors to bite against the dental pad, which facilitates the mechanical breakdown of grass and other vegetation.

This unique structure is advantageous for a herbivorous diet, as it enables ruminants to efficiently forage and process plant material necessary for their digestion. The lack of upper incisors and the presence of the dental pad effectively support the ruminant’s adaptation to their ecological niche, which includes consuming tough and fibrous plant materials.