Goat

Goat, common name for any of eight species of cloven-hoofed, horned mammals closely related to the sheep. The two differ in that the goat’s tail is shorter and the hollow horns are long and directed upward, backward, and outward, whereas those of the sheep are spirally twisted. Male goats have beards, unlike sheep, and differ further by the characteristic strong odour they give off in the rutting season.

The female goat, or doe, which has smaller horns than the male, in ordinary usage is often termed goat or nanny goat. The young are called kids. The male goat is called buck, or, colloquially, billy goat.

In the wild state, goats are nomadic and are generally found in mountainous habitats. They are agile animals, adept at making long, flying leaps from rock to rock, landing with both front feet close together. Their sure-footedness is due partly to the construction of their hooves. The subunguis (inner layer of material of the hoof) is softer than the unguis (outer layer) and wears away more quickly. Acting as a shock absorber, the subunguis takes the punishment from the pounding that rocky terrain gives the hooves, wears away, and keeps the hooves continuously supplied with a hard edge. Goats are gregarious, except for old bucks, which tend to live by themselves or sometimes serve as sentinels or scouts on the outer edges of herds. Wild goats, which are ruminants, feed on grasses in pastures and, in the mountains, on the branches and leaves of shrubbery. They breed in the autumn. The gestation period is five months or, in some species, a few weeks longer. Two kids are usually produced at birth. They are soon able to move with the herd and mature sexually at two to five years, depending on the species. Among the most important of the wild goats is the bezoar goat, or pasang, a brownish-grey to reddish goat 0.7 to 1 m (2€ to 3€ ft) high at the shoulder, found from Asia Minor to north-eastern India. Other important wild goats are the ibexes, which include the Spanish goat, or Spanish ibex, the Daghestan tur, and the markhar.

A number of breeds of goat are raised domestically throughout the world. These animals probably descended from the bezoar goat. The goat is used for meat, as a milk producer, as a pet, and as a beast of burden. Many parts of the animal are economically valuable for a variety of purposes, such as the skins for leather and the pelts for rugs and robes. One variety of domestic goat, important for its commercial value, is the Angora. The most valuable Angora is covered, except for the face and the legs below the knees, with long, fine, silky hair called mohair. The brilliant, transparent texture of mohair has made it a valued material. The Kashmir goat, a small animal native to Kashmir, India, is the source of fine wool called cashmere.

Goat’s milk compares favourably in nutritive value with cow’s milk and is more easily digested by many people. It is used extensively in making cheeses.

The Rocky Mountain goat of the United States is properly a goat antelope. It is closely related to the European chamois.

Scientific classification: Goats belong to the family Bovidae. They make up the genus Capra. The bezoar goat is classified as Capra aegagrus, and the domestic goats as Capra hircus.