Hi Dawn,
Cows and other cud-chewing animals can get "hairballs". Technically 
referred to as a bezoar, such hairballs are essentially masses of 
indigestible material.

Ironically, enough, apparently April 27th is Hairball Awareness Day. You 
can find a little more anecdotal information in this article 
<http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-04/happy-hairball-awareness-day> 
on popsci.com.
Have a good one
chad

Scher Thomae, Dawn wrote:
>
> A few months ago, people submitted odd and interesting items found in 
> their museum’s collection documentation. Here is one I just found but 
> haven’t had the opportunity (initiative?) to see if it’s still in our 
> vertebrate zoology collection:
>
> “1 Hairball, supposedly from the stomach of a cow”
>
> (Can cows get hairballs?)
>
> Dawn Scher Thomae
>
> Milwaukee Public Museum
>
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-- 
Chad W Landsman	
Lab & Collections Manager
Anthropology Laboratory

Luther College 
700 College Drive
Decorah, IA 52101
(563)387-2156

=========================================================
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