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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
domestic
goat, goat |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Artiodactyla |
| FAMILY: |
Bovidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Capra
(goat) hircus |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
The
domestic goat has cloven hooves, a long beard on
its chin, a short and upward-turned tail, and horns
that grow upward from the head instead of twisting
to the sides like those of sheep. The hair is straight
with a woolly undercoat during winter. |
|
| SIZE: |
Approximately
70-120 cm (28-48 in.) |
|
| WEIGHT: |
45-54
kg (100-120 lb.) |
|
| DIET: |
Browser:
Includes fresh or dried grasses, foliage of trees,
shrubs, bushes, and various other plants. If permitted
to graze an area, they will almost strip the land
completely causing irreversible damage. |
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| GESTATION: |
Gestation
lasts approximately 150 days; usually 1-2 offspring |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
4-18
months |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Approximately
15 years |
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| RANGE: |
Global;
maintained and/or feral on every continent except
Antarctica |
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| HABITAT: |
Varied;
including mountain steppe, grasslands, and desert |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Roughly
600 million maintained worldwide (not including
feral populations) |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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|
| 1. |
Goats originated in Egypt and now are farmed throughout
the world. |
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|
| 2. |
They are adaptable to most any habitat including
savanna, desert, scrub, and mountains. |
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| 3. |
They have an efficient four-chambered stomach that
allows them to survive on sparse vegetation. Their
digestive process also allows them to eat large
quantities of food quickly. This reduces foraging
time during which they are exposed to predators. |
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|
| 4. |
Most
male goats have a strong pungent odor. Not only
does this to denote sexual maturity and serves to
attract females, but also signifies territory. Consequently,
males do not need to scent mark. |
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|
| 5. |
A
male goat is called a ram or billy, and a female
is called a doe or nanny. Young goats are known
as kids until they are old enough to reproduce. |
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|
| 6. |
Most
goats live in herds of about 5-20 members. |
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| 7. |
Wild
goats live in the mountains of southeastern Europe
and Asia. In the spring they graze high in the mountains,
but in the fall or winter they retreat to lower
slopes or valleys to avoid deep snow. |
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|
| 8. |
The
most common domestic breeds are the Angora, Cashmere,
French-Alpine, Nubian, Saanen, and Toggenburg. |
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| Goats
are an important food source for people around the
world. They supply people with milk, cheese, wool,
meat, and leather. Goatskins are also used in shoes,
book-binding, and other leather articles. Goat's
milk is easier to digest than cow's milk and is
beneficial in the diets of some infants and invalids.
Goats
can live on coarse, thin growth and are often
raised on land that is not fertile enough to support
cattle or sheep.
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| |
|
|
|
Nowak,
R. M. Walker's Mammals of the World, Fifth
Ed. Vol. II, Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins
University Press, 1991.
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|
|
Parker, Sybil P. Grzimek's Encyclopedia: Mammals.
Vol. 5, New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company,
1990. |
|
|
Spinage, C.A. The Natural History of Antelope.
New York: Facts on File Publications, 1986.
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| African
Wildlife Foundation. www.awf.org/wildlives/ |
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