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This article is about the Capra genus of animals and the Goat species. For other uses, see Capra, or Goat (disambiguation).
The
genus Capra is a
genus of
mammals composed of nine
species, including the
Ibex, the
West Caucasian Tur, the
East Caucasian Tur, the
Markhor, and the
Wild Goat.
The animal commonly known as the
domestic goat (
Capra aegagrus hircus) is a
domesticated subspecies of the
Wild Goat. All members of the Capra genus are
bovids (members of the
family Bovidae) and caprins or goat antelopes (subfamily
Caprinae). They are also
ruminants, meaning they chew cud. These animals have a four-chambered stomach which plays a vital role in digesting, regurgitating and re-digesting their food.
A
male goat is called a
buck or
billy, and a
female is called a
doe or
nanny. Young goats are called
kids.
The
Rocky Mountain Goat, despite its name, isn't considered a true goat by
scientists as it belongs to the genus
Oreamnos.
Species and subspecies
All species of the genus were included in just a single species formerly. Today usually seven to nine species are accepted:
Almost all wild goat species are
allopatric, only the range of the wild goat (
Capra aegagrus) overlaps with that of the East Caucasian Tur (
Capra cylindricornis) and the range of the Markhor (Capra falconeri) overlaps with the Siberian ibex (Capra siberica). In both cases they form usually no hydrids or intermediate forms. In captivity however all Capra species can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
Species and subspecies of goats
Domestication and uses
» Main article: Domestic goat
Along with
sheep, goats were among the first
domesticated animals, the domestication process starting at least 10,000 years ago. Goats may have first been domesticated in what is now northern
Iran. Easy human access to goat
hair,
meat, and
milk were the primary motivations. Goat
skins were popularly used until the
Middle Ages for water and
wine bottles when traveling and
camping, and in certain regions as
parchment for writing.
The meat and milk of goats is used for consumption, goat milk having become more popular in recent years because it's easier to digest than cow milk. Many call goat milk a universal milk, because it can be given to most mammals. It is used to make a variety of
dairy products. The cheeses are known collectively as
chevre; examples include
Rocamadour and
feta. Goat meat intended for consumption is also known as 'chevon'. Goat skin is used to make
kid gloves and other items of clothing.
Fibre is obtained from several breeds:
Angora goats produce silk-like
mohair,
Kashmir goats produce
cashmere wool, while
Pygora goats produce a cashmere-type fiber. All are fine soft fibers that can be knitted into sweaters and other items. Some people keep goats as pets as well.
Herds of goats can be used as a holistic weed control tool. The city of
Boulder, Colorado experimented in 2005 by using herds of goats to diffuse
knapweed and
Canada thistle.
(External Link
) Goats are also used to clear brush including
poison oak in the hills on the east side of the
San Francisco Bay Area of
Northern California as a
fire mitigation measure.
Similarity to sheep
Though closely related to sheep, to the point of causing occasional taxonomic confusion, goat behaviour is quite different. Sheep are primarily roaming grazers which travel in herds (also known as flocks), while goats are browsers like deer, eating branches and twigs, and tend to be more territorial. Like sheep, though, they've horns that continue to grow throughout their lifetime instead of antlers that fall off once a year. Unlike sheep, both male and female goats grow horns, and both sexes can have beards. Goats are
herd animals and survive better in a herd situation than alone. But they tend to be more aggressive with predators, and some sheep herders will run a few goats with the herd because after initially fleeing, the goats will stand up to a predator and possibly deter them, whereas sheep will continue to run. A herd typically has a Herd Queen, who leads the herd while browsing. They are also much more lively than sheep and their inquisitive nature makes them curious
pets. Sheep and goats have the same horizontal slit
pupil in their
eyeballs. Sheep tails go down, which is why they're sometimes
docked, whereas goat tails go up.
Behaviour
Goats are extremely curious and intelligent. They are easily
housebroken, and trained to pull carts and walk on leads.
Ches McCartney, nicknamed "the goat man", toured the
United States for over three decades in a wagon pulled by a herd of pet goats. They are also known for escaping their pens. Goats will test fences, either intentially or simply because they're handy to climb on. If any of the fencing can be spread, pushed over or down, or otherwise be overcome, the goats will escape. Being very intelligent, once a weakness in the fence has been exploited, it'll be repeated exploited until they determine it can no longer be overcome. Goats are very coordinated and can climb and hold their balance in the most precarious places. Goats are also widely known for their ability to climb trees, although the tree generally has to be on somewhat of an angle.
A common
misconception is that goats will eat anything. This isn't true at all; in reality they're fastidious eaters and won't even take a bite of something that has fallen onto the ground or that something else has had in its mouth. Goats prefer to graze on
shrubbery and
weeds for food. Goats graze more like deer than sheep, preferring woody shrubs rather than grasses. Mold in a goat's feed can make it sick and possibly kill it.
Nightshade is also poisonous; wilted fruit tree leaves can also kill goats. Goats shouldn't be fed grass with any signs of mold. Silage (corn stalks) isn't good for goats, but haylage can be used if consumed immediately after opening.
Alfalfa is their favorite hay,
fescue the least palatable and least nutritious.
Goats in folklore and mythology
Since its inception,
Christianity has associated
Satan with imagery of goats (see
Pan (mythology)). A common
superstition in the
Middle Ages was that goats whispered lewd sentences in the ears of the
saints. The origin of this belief was probably the behavior of the buck in
rut, the very epitome of lust. The common medieval depiction of
the Devil was that of a goat like face with horns and small beard (a
goatee). The
Black Mass, a probably-mythological "Satanic mass," was said to involve a black goat, the form in which Satan supposedly manifested himself for worship.
The goat has had a lingering connection with
Satanism and
pagan religions, even into modern times. The
pentagram, a symbol used by Satanism, is said to be shaped like a goat's head. The "
Baphomet of
Mendes" refers to a satanic goat-like figure from 19th century
occultism.
According to
Norse mythology, the god of thunder,
Thor, has a
chariot that's pulled by several goats. At night when he sets up camp, Thor will eat the meat of the goats, but take care that all bones remain whole. Then he wraps the remains up, and in the morning, the goats will always come back to life to pull the chariot. When a mortal who is invited to share the meal breaks one of the goats' legs to suck the marrow however, the animal's leg remain broken in the morning, and the mortal is forced to serve Thor as a servant to compensate for the damage.
The goat is one of the twelve-year cycle of animals which appear in the
Chinese zodiac related to the
Chinese calendar. Each animal is associated with certain personality traits; those born in a year of the goat are predicted to be shy, introverted, creative, and perfectionist. See
Sheep (zodiac).
Several mythological hybrid creatures are believed to consist of parts of the goat, including the
Chimera .
The
Capricorn sign in the Western
zodiac is usually depicted as a goat with a
fish's tail.
Fauns and
satyrs are mythological creatures that are part goat and part human.
The mineral
Bromine is named from the Greek word "Brόmos," which translates to "Stench of He-Goats."
Further Information
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