Goat is a member of the Bovidae family, which consists of 140 species of cloven-hoofed mammals. Goats are one of the oldest domesticated species and have over 300 distinct breeds. They fall in the category of goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. It is interesting to know that sheep is also a member of the same family. Goats have been domesticated by humans since ages now and have been used for milk, meat, hair and skin all over the world. They are also popular as pets, though the practice of petting them started as late as the 20th
century. While female goats are referred to as does or nannies, male goats are known as bucks and billies. The offspring are known as kids. Read on to explore some more interesting facts and amazing information on goats.
Facts About Goat
Species: C. aegagrus
Sub Species: C. a. hircus
Height: 3 Feet 2 inches
Weight: 170 LB
Life Span: 15-18 years
Diet: Hay Roughage
Habitat: Mountains and Grasslands
Age of Sexual Maturity: 18 Months
Gestation Period: 150 Days
Interesting And Amazing Information On Goats
- The meat from younger goats is called kid or cabrito, whereas meat from older goats is called chevon, also known as ‘mutton’ in some areas. In parts of Asia such as India and Pakistan, both lamb and goat meat is described as mutton. Goat meat tastes similar to lamb meat.
- Beards are to be seen in both male and female goats and some types of goats may also have wattles, each dangling from one side of their neck. The goats with wattles are commonly dairy goats, dairy cross boers and pygmy goats.
- Goats are able to breed at any time of the year, under certain type of climates. Among the Swiss breeds and in temperate climates, the breeding season begins when the day length starts getting shorter and ends in early spring.
- Goats are ruminants, which mean they have four stomachs and they digest their food in a unique way. They can eat almost any type of diet, as their digestive system allows more or less every organic substance to be broken down and used as nutrients.
- Goats have a reputation of being very intelligent and extremely curious. It is pretty easy to train them to pull carts and walk on leads. They tend to test fences simply for the reason that they are tough to climb on. Goats are also known to be very coordinated and are able to climb trees.
- Goats can readily establish in the wild, when given the opportunity. Such goats are known as feral goats and are commonly found in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Britain, the Galapagos and many other parts of the world.
- Most of the goats have softer insulating features near the skin, while the surface, they have longer guard hairs. The hair texture that is used in the textile industry is the former one. It is known as Cashmere or ‘Pashmina’ in the textile industry.
- An interesting fact about goats is that they find mention many times in the holy book Bible. Jewish Dietary laws consider goat a clean animal and Jews slaughter them for their honored guests.