What is the fundamental characteristic defining animals as ruminants, according to the text?
Answer
Possessing a specialized, multi-chambered stomach and chewing their cud
Ruminants are defined by having a specialized, multi-chambered stomach and the behavior of chewing their cud.

Related Questions
What does the Hindi derivation of the name "nilgai" literally suggest?To which taxonomic family does the nilgai belong?What is the fundamental characteristic defining animals as ruminants, according to the text?Which of the four stomach compartments is identified as the nilgai's 'true stomach'?What specific feature of the nilgai's placenta confirms its classification among ruminants?How does the nilgai's specialized digestion grant it an advantage over hindgut fermenters like horses during food scarcity?What feeding habit did the nilgai predominantly adopt after being introduced to drier South Texas environments?What is the primary function of the symbiotic microbes located in the nilgai's rumen?In its native India, what cultural association has historically protected the nilgai from widespread hunting?What beneficial ecological side effect of nilgai droppings is mentioned as often being overlooked?