Goat

Capra nircus

Many thousand years ago, man domesticated the goat. In the days when ships would set sail for far away countries, goats were taken on board to provide fresh milk as well as meat. Goats became extremely widespread in their distribution by being introduced into new areas by these early sailors.

Goats are closely related to sheep, yet there are a few distinct differences. The horns of most goats extend upward and backward, while those of the sheep curve downward and in a half circle. The forehead of the goat is convex, not concave as in sheep. Interestingly, both male and female goats have horns. In sheep, usually only the males have horns. The male goat has a distinct smell and is called a buck, but is more often referred to as a billy goat. A female over two years old is called a nanny goat. Goats move about in herds of five to 20 and are led by an older female.

Goats will not eat tin cans as once believed. They do enjoy eating the bark from trees, twigs, and other woody plants. Goats will eat linen cloth or paper. They are able to digest these foreign materials because of the presence of special microscopic organisms that live in the stomach of the goat and aid in the pre-digestion of cellulose.

The natural habitat of the goat is usually barren hillside. Wherever goats live, they seem to have a “nibbling-knack” of turning beautiful landscape into barren hillside. Overgrazing by introduced goats has had a serious impact on native wild species and in several places throughout the world has directly caused the extinction of native species.

Goats reach sexual maturity after one year and usually live about 18 years. Goats usually mate in autumn and one or two kids are born after a gestation period of approximately six months. Soon after birth, the kid is able to run and even able to climb. Goats are adept at jumping and climbing and have been seen to jump onto another animal’s back to reach low limbs and from there to higher and higher boughs of trees by short jumps.