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 > > ========================================================= Important > Subscriber Information: > > The Museum-L FAQ file is located at > http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed > information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail > message to [log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]> . The body of the message should > read "help" (without the quotes). > > If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message > to [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the > quotes). > -- Chad W Landsman Lab & Collections Manager Anthropology Laboratory Luther College 700 College Drive Decorah, IA 52101 (563)387-2156 ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).