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{{short description|Domesticated mammal (Capra hircus)}}
{{short description|Domesticated mammal (Capra hircus)}}
{{good article}}
{{about|the domesticated species of goat|other species|Capra (genus)|other uses}}
{{about|the domesticated species of goat|other species|Capra (genus)|other uses}}
{{Redirect|Billy goat}}
{{Redirect|Billy goat}}
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The '''goat''' or '''domestic goat''' ('''''Capra hircus''''') is a species of [[Caprinae|goat-antelope]] that is mostly kept as [[livestock]]. It was [[domesticated]] from the [[wild goat]] (''C. aegagrus'') of [[Southwest Asia]] and [[Eastern Europe]]. The goat is a member of the family [[Bovidae]], meaning it is closely related to the [[sheep]]. It was one of the first animals to be domesticated, in Iran around 10,000 years ago.
The '''goat''' or '''domestic goat''' ('''''Capra hircus''''') is a species of [[Caprinae|goat-antelope]] that is mostly kept as [[livestock]]. It was [[domesticated]] from the [[wild goat]] (''C. aegagrus'') of [[Southwest Asia]] and [[Eastern Europe]]. The goat is a member of the family [[Bovidae]], meaning it is closely related to the [[sheep]]. It was one of the first animals to be domesticated, in Iran around 10,000 years ago.


Goats have been used for [[milk]], [[Goat meat|meat]], [[Animal fur|wool]], and [[Animal skin|skins]] across much of the world. Milk from goats is often turned into [[goat cheese|cheese]]. In 2022, there were more than 1,100 million goats living in the world, of which 150 million were in India.
Goats have been used for [[milk]], [[Goat meat|meat]], [[Animal fur|wool]], and [[Animal skin|skins]] across much of the world. Milk from goats is often turned into [[goat cheese|cheese]]. In 2022, there were more than 1.1 billion goats living in the world, of which 150 million were in India.

Goats feature in mythology, folklore, and religion in many parts of the world, including in the classical myth of [[Amalthea (mythology)|Amalthea]], in [[Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr|the goats that pulled the chariot]] of the Norse god [[Thor]], in the Scandinavian [[Yule goat]], and in Hinduism's goat-headed [[Daksha]]. In Christianity and Satanism, the devil is sometimes depicted as a goat.


== Etymology ==
== Etymology ==


The [[Modern English]] word ''goat'' comes from [[Old English]] ''gāt'' "goat, she-goat", which in turn derives from [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] *''gaitaz'' (cf. [[Dutch language|Dutch]]/[[Frisian languages|Frisian]]/[[Icelandic language|Icelandic]]/[[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] ''geit'', [[German language|German]] ''Geiß'', and [[Gothic language|Gothic]] ''gaits''), ultimately from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] ''*ǵʰaidos'' meaning "young goat" (cf. [[Latin]] ''haedus'' "kid").<ref>Calvert Watkins et al., ''The American Heritage Dictionary'' (1975, edited by William Morris).</ref> To refer to the male goat, Old English used ''bucca'' (cf. [[Dutch language|Dutch]]/[[Frisian languages|Frisian]] ''bok'', modern English ''buck'') until ousted by ''hegote'', ''hegoote'' ('he-goat') in the late 12th century.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ullman |first=B. L. |date=1943 |title=Bucca, Bucca |journal=Classical Philology |volume=38 |issue=2 |pages=94–102 |doi=10.1086/362696 |jstor=264294}}</ref> ''Nanny goat'' (females) originated in the 18th century, and ''billy goat'' (for males) originated in the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 2023 |title=nanny-goat |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/nanny-goat_n?tl=true |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=Oxford English Dictionary}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2024 |title=billy-goat |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/billy-goat_n |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=Oxford English Dictionary}}</ref>
The [[Modern English]] word ''goat'' comes from [[Old English]] ''gāt'' "goat, she-goat", which in turn derives from [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] *''gaitaz'' (cf. [[Dutch language|Dutch]]/[[Frisian languages|Frisian]]/[[Icelandic language|Icelandic]]/[[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] ''geit'', [[German language|German]] ''Geiß'', and [[Gothic language|Gothic]] ''gaits''), ultimately from [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] ''*ǵʰaidos'' meaning "young goat" (cf. [[Latin]] ''haedus'' "kid").<ref>{{cite dictionary |last=Watkins |first=Calvert |display-authors=etal |title=The American Heritage Dictionary |year=1975 |editor=William Morris}}</ref> To refer to the male goat, Old English used ''bucca'' (cf. [[Dutch language|Dutch]]/[[Frisian languages|Frisian]] ''bok'', modern English ''buck'') until ousted by ''hegote'', ''hegoote'' ('he-goat') in the late 12th century.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ullman |first=B. L. |date=1943 |title=Bucca, Bucca |journal=Classical Philology |volume=38 |issue=2 |pages=94–102 |doi=10.1086/362696 |jstor=264294}}</ref> ''Nanny goat'' (adult female) originated in the 18th century, and ''billy goat'' (adult male) in the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 2023 |title=nanny-goat |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/nanny-goat_n?tl=true |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=Oxford English Dictionary |archive-date=March 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324070608/https://www.oed.com/dictionary/nanny-goat_n?tl=true |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2024 |title=billy-goat |url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/billy-goat_n |access-date=24 March 2024 |website=Oxford English Dictionary}}</ref>


[[Castration|Castrated]] males are called ''wethers''. While the words ''hircine'' and ''caprine'' both refer to anything having a goat-like quality, ''hircine'' is used most often to emphasize the distinct smell of domestic goats.<ref>{{Cite web |title=hircine |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/hircine |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=www.etymonline.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition of 'caprine' |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caprine |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=www.merriam-webster.com}}</ref>
[[Castration|Castrated]] males are called ''wethers''. While the words ''hircine'' and ''caprine'' both refer to anything having a goat-like quality, ''hircine'' is used most often to emphasize the distinct smell of domestic goats.<ref>{{Cite web |title=hircine |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/hircine |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=www.etymonline.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition of 'caprine' |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caprine |access-date=2024-03-26 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |archive-date=November 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231122195403/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caprine |url-status=live }}</ref>


== History ==
== History ==


{{further|Evolution of domestic goats}}
{{further|Domestication of the goat}}


[[File:Atlit-Yam – Horn Cores of goat (cropped).JPG|thumb|upright=1.1|Horn cores from the Neolithic village of [[Atlit Yam]], between 6900 and 6300 BC]]
[[File:Atlit-Yam – Horn Cores of goat (cropped).JPG|thumb|upright=1.1|Horn cores from the Neolithic village of [[Atlit Yam]], between 6900 and 6300 BC]]


Goats are among the earliest animals to have been domesticated by humans.<ref name=OKstate>{{cite journal |title=Breeds of Livestock; Goats: (Capra hircus) |date=January 19, 2021 |url=http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/|publisher=Oklahoma State University Board of Regents |access-date=March 27, 2002|archive-date=September 25, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925153835/http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/ |url-status=live}}</ref> A genetic analysis<ref name="Naderi et al. 17659–17664">{{cite journal |date=November 18, 2008 |title=The goat domestication process inferred from large-scale mitochondrial DNA analysis of wild and domestic individuals |journal=PNAS |volume=105 |issue=46 |pages=17659–17664 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0804782105 |pmid=19004765 |last1=Naderi |first1=Saeid |last2=Rezaei |first2=Hamid-Reza |last3=Pompanon |first3=François |last4=Blum |first4=Michael G. B. |last5=Negrini |first5=Riccardo |last6=Naghash |first6=Hamid-Reza |last7=Balkiz |first7=Özge |last8=Mashkour |first8=Marjan |last9=Gaggiotti |first9=Oscar E. |last10=Ajmone-Marsan |first10=Paolo |last11=Kence |first11=Aykut |last12=Vigne |first12=Jean-Denis |last13=Taberlet |first13=Pierre |pmc=2584717 |bibcode=2008PNAS..10517659N |doi-access=free}}</ref> confirms the archaeological evidence that the wild [[bezoar ibex]] of the [[Zagros Mountains]] is the likely original ancestor of all or most domestic goats today.<ref name=OKstate/>
Goats are among the earliest animals to have been domesticated by humans.<ref name=OKstate>{{cite web |title=Breeds of Livestock; Goats: (''Capra hircus'') |date=January 19, 2021 |url=http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/|publisher=Oklahoma State University Board of Regents |access-date=March 27, 2002 |archive-date=September 25, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925153835/http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/ |url-status=live}}</ref> A genetic analysis<ref name="Naderi et al. 17659–17664">{{cite journal |date=November 18, 2008 |title=The goat domestication process inferred from large-scale mitochondrial DNA analysis of wild and domestic individuals |journal=PNAS |volume=105 |issue=46 |pages=17659–17664 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0804782105 |pmid=19004765 |last1=Naderi |first1=Saeid |last2=Rezaei |first2=Hamid-Reza |last3=Pompanon |first3=François |last4=Blum |first4=Michael G. B. |last5=Negrini |first5=Riccardo |last6=Naghash |first6=Hamid-Reza |last7=Balkiz |first7=Özge |last8=Mashkour |first8=Marjan |last9=Gaggiotti |first9=Oscar E. |last10=Ajmone-Marsan |first10=Paolo |last11=Kence |first11=Aykut |last12=Vigne |first12=Jean-Denis |last13=Taberlet |first13=Pierre |display-authors=5 |pmc=2584717 |bibcode=2008PNAS..10517659N |doi-access=free}}</ref> confirms the archaeological evidence that the wild [[bezoar ibex]], found today in the [[Zagros Mountains]], but formerly widespread in [[Anatolia]], is the likely original ancestor of all or most domestic goats today.<ref name=OKstate/>


[[Neolithic]] farmers began to herd wild goats primarily for easy access to [[milk]] and meat, as well as to their dung, which was used as fuel; and their bones, hair, and sinew were used for clothing, building, and tools.<ref name="hadog">Hirst, K. Kris. [http://archaeology.about.com/od/domestications/qt/goats.htm "The History of the Domestication of Goats".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080707045748/http://archaeology.about.com/od/domestications/qt/goats.htm |date=July 7, 2008 }} ''[[About.com]]''. Accessed August 18, 2008.</ref> The earliest remnants of domesticated goats dating 10,000 years [[Before Present]] are found in [[Ganj Dareh]] in [[Iran]].<ref>{{Cite journal |title=The Initial Domestication of Goats (Capra hircus) in the Zagros Mountains 10,000 Years Ago |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.287.5461.2254 |journal=Science |bibcode=2000Sci...287.2254Z |last1=Zeder |first1=Melinda A. |last2=Hesse |first2=Brian |year=2000|volume=287 |issue=5461 |pages=2254–7 |doi=10.1126/science.287.5461.2254 |pmid=10731145 |access-date=June 30, 2022 |archive-date=July 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707013603/https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.287.5461.2254 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://phys.org/news/2021-06-year-old-dna-pens-tales-earliest.html |title=10,000-year-old DNA pens the first tales of the earliest domesticated goats |author=Trinity College Dublin |website=Phys.org |date=June 7, 2021 |access-date=June 8, 2021 |archive-date=March 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330025509/https://phys.org/news/2021-06-year-old-dna-pens-tales-earliest.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Goat remains have been found at archaeological sites in [[Jericho]], [[Choga Mami]],<ref>Maisels, C.K. [https://books.google.com/books?id=1WOPkmChaFsC&dq=choga+mami+goat&pg=PA124 Near East: Archaeology in the 'Cradle of Civilization'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924104103/https://books.google.com/books?id=1WOPkmChaFsC&dq=choga+mami+goat&pg=PA124 |date=September 24, 2023 }} ''The Near East: Archaeology in the Cradle of Civilization'' Routledge, 1999; p.124</ref> [[Djeitun]], and [[Çayönü]], dating the domestication of goats in [[Western Asia]] at between 8,000 and 9,000 years ago.<ref name=OKstate/> DNA evidence suggests that goats were domesticated around 10,000 years ago.<ref name="Naderi et al. 17659–17664" /> Historically, goat hide has been used for water and [[wine]] bottles in both traveling and transporting wine for sale, and to produce [[parchment]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Schröder |first1=Oskar |last2=Wagner |first2=Mayke |last3=Wutke |first3=Saskia |last4=Zhang |first4=Yong |last5=Ma |first5=Yingxia |last6=Xu |first6=Dongliang |last7=Goslar |first7=Tomasz |last8=Neef |first8=Reinder |last9=Tarasov |first9=Pavel E. |last10=Ludwig |first10=Arne |date=October 2016 |title=Ancient DNA identification of domestic animals used for leather objects in Central Asia during the Bronze Age |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0959683616641741 |journal=The Holocene |volume=26 |issue=10 |pages=1722–1729 |doi=10.1177/0959683616641741 |bibcode=2016Holoc..26.1722S}}</ref>
[[Neolithic]] farmers began to herd wild goats primarily for easy access to [[milk]] and meat, as well as to their dung, which was used as fuel; and their bones, hair, and sinew were used for clothing, building, and tools.<ref name="hadog">Hirst, K. Kris. [http://archaeology.about.com/od/domestications/qt/goats.htm "The History of the Domestication of Goats".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080707045748/http://archaeology.about.com/od/domestications/qt/goats.htm |date=July 7, 2008 }} ''[[About.com]]''. Accessed August 18, 2008.</ref> The earliest remnants of domesticated goats dating 10,000 years [[Before Present]] are found in [[Ganj Dareh]] in [[Iran]].<ref>{{Cite journal |title=The Initial Domestication of Goats (''Capra hircus'') in the Zagros Mountains 10,000 Years Ago |journal=Science |bibcode=2000Sci...287.2254Z |last1=Zeder |first1=Melinda A. |last2=Hesse |first2=Brian |year=2000|volume=287 |issue=5461 |pages=2254–2257 |doi=10.1126/science.287.5461.2254 |pmid=10731145}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://phys.org/news/2021-06-year-old-dna-pens-tales-earliest.html |title=10,000-year-old DNA pens the first tales of the earliest domesticated goats |author=Trinity College Dublin |website=Phys.org |date=June 7, 2021 |access-date=June 8, 2021 |archive-date=March 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330025509/https://phys.org/news/2021-06-year-old-dna-pens-tales-earliest.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Goat remains have been found at archaeological sites in [[Jericho]], [[Choga Mami]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Maisels |first=C.K. |title=The Near East: Archaeology in the Cradle of Civilization |publisher=Routledge |year=1999 |page=124 |isbn=978-0-415-18607-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1WOPkmChaFsC&dq=choga+mami+goat&pg=PA124 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924104103/https://books.google.com/books?id=1WOPkmChaFsC&dq=choga+mami+goat&pg=PA124 |archive-date=September 24, 2023}}</ref> [[Djeitun]], and [[Çayönü]], dating the domestication of goats in [[Western Asia]] at between 8,000 and 9,000 years ago.<ref name=OKstate/> DNA evidence suggests that goats were domesticated around 10,000 years ago.<ref name="Naderi et al. 17659–17664" /> Historically, goat hide has been used for water and [[wine]] bottles in both traveling and transporting wine for sale, and to produce [[parchment]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Schröder |first1=Oskar |last2=Wagner |first2=Mayke |last3=Wutke |first3=Saskia |last4=Zhang |first4=Yong |last5=Ma |first5=Yingxia |last6=Xu |first6=Dongliang |last7=Goslar |first7=Tomasz |last8=Neef |first8=Reinder |last9=Tarasov |first9=Pavel E. |last10=Ludwig |first10=Arne |display-authors=5 |date=October 2016 |title=Ancient DNA identification of domestic animals used for leather objects in Central Asia during the Bronze Age |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0959683616641741 |journal=The Holocene |volume=26 |issue=10 |pages=1722–1729 |doi=10.1177/0959683616641741 |bibcode=2016Holoc..26.1722S |access-date=March 26, 2024 |archive-date=March 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326113713/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0959683616641741 |url-status=live }}</ref>


== Biology ==
== Biology ==


=== Description ===
Each breed of goat has specific weight ranges, which vary from more than {{convert |300 |lb |kg |abbr=on |order=flip}} for bucks of larger breeds such as the Boer, to {{convert |45 |to |60 |lb |kg |abbr=on |order=flip}} for smaller goat does.<ref>Taylor, R.E. and Field, T.G., "Growth and Development" Scientific Farm Animal Production: An Introduction to Animal Science, 6th Ed. Prentice-Hall (1999) Upper Saddle River pg 321–324.</ref> Within each breed, different strains or bloodlines may have different recognized sizes. At the bottom of the size range are miniature breeds such as the African Pygmy, which stand {{convert |16 |to |23 |in |cm |abbr=on |order=flip}} at the shoulder as adults.<ref>Belanger, J & Bredesen, S. T, "Basic Information about Goats" ''Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats'', 2nd ed. Storey Publishing (2010) North Adams, pg 14</ref>


Each breed of goat has specific weight ranges, which vary from more than {{cvt|140|kg}} for bucks of larger breeds such as the Boer, to {{cvt|20|to|27|kg}} for smaller does.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=R.E. |last2=Field |first2=T.G. |chapter=Growth and Development |title=Scientific Farm Animal Production: An Introduction to Animal Science |edition=6th |publisher=Prentice-Hall |year=1999 |location=Upper Saddle River |pages=321–324}}</ref> Within each breed, different strains or bloodlines may have different recognized sizes. At the bottom of the size range are miniature breeds such as the African Pygmy, which stand {{cvt|41|to|58|cm}} at the shoulder as adults.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Belanger |first1=J. |last2=Bredesen |first2=S.T. |chapter=Basic Information about Goats |title=Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats |edition=2nd |publisher=Storey Publishing |year=2010 |location=North Adams |isbn=978-1612129327 |page=14}}</ref>
Most goats naturally have two [[Horn (anatomy) |horns]], their shape and size depending on the breed.<ref name="americangoatsociety.com">[http://www.americangoatsociety.com/education/polled_genetics.php American Goat Society:Polled Genetics] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901182702/https://americangoatsociety.com/education/polled_genetics.php |date=September 1, 2018 }}, americangoatsociety.com.</ref> There have been incidents of [[polycerate]] goats (having as many as eight horns), although this is a genetic rarity thought to be inherited. Unlike cattle, goats have not been successfully bred to be reliably [[Polled livestock |polled]], as the genes determining sex and those determining horns are closely linked. Breeding together two genetically polled goats results in a high number of [[Intersex (biology) |intersex]] individuals among the offspring, which are typically sterile.<ref name="americangoatsociety.com" /> Their horns are made of living bone surrounded by [[keratin]] and other [[proteins]], and are used for defense, dominance, territoriality,<ref name="SmithSherman2011">{{cite book |author1=Mary C. Smith |author2=David M. Sherman |title=Goat Medicine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RJS9NEpYnd8C |date=November 16, 2011 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-119-94952-7 |access-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321193031/https://books.google.com/books?id=RJS9NEpYnd8C |url-status=live}}</ref> and thermoregulation.<ref name="Taylor 1966 pp. 127–139">{{cite journal |last=Taylor |first=Charles R. |date=1966 |title=The Vascularity and Possible Thermoregulatory Function of the Horns in Goats |journal=Physiological Zoology |volume=39 |issue=2 |pages=127–139 |doi=10.1086/physzool.39.2.30152426 |s2cid=88164340}}</ref> Both male and female goats may have beards, and many types of goat (most commonly dairy goats, dairy-cross [[Boer goat |Boers]], and [[pygmy goat]]s) may have [[Wattle (anatomy) |wattles]], one dangling from each side of the neck.<ref>[http://www.tripleigoats.com/faq.htm Frequently Asked Questions – Triple I Goats] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225022244/https://www.tripleigoats.com/faq.htm |date=February 25, 2021 }}, Tripleigoats.com</ref> Goats have horizontal, slit-shaped [[pupil]]s, allowing them to see well by both night and day, and giving them a wide field of vision on either side to detect predators, while avoiding being dazzled by sunlight from above.<ref name="Feltman 2015">{{cite news |last1=Feltman |first1=Rachel |title=Here's why goats have those freaky eyes |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/08/10/heres-why-goats-have-those-freaky-eyes/ |access-date=25 October 2024 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=August 10, 2015}}</ref>

Goats have no tear ducts.<ref name="Animals With No Tear Ducts">{{cite web |title=ANIMALS WITH NO TEAR DUCTS |url=https://animals.mom.com/animals-tear-ducts-9716.html |website=Pets on Mom.com |access-date=October 17, 2021 |archive-date=October 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017234338/https://animals.mom.com/animals-tear-ducts-9716.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
Most goats naturally have two [[Horn (anatomy)|horns]], their shape and size depending on the breed.<ref name="americangoatsociety.com">[http://www.americangoatsociety.com/education/polled_genetics.php American Goat Society:Polled Genetics] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901182702/https://americangoatsociety.com/education/polled_genetics.php |date=September 1, 2018 }}, americangoatsociety.com.</ref> There have been incidents of [[polycerate]] goats (having as many as eight horns), although this is a genetic rarity. Unlike cattle, goats have not been successfully bred to be reliably [[Polled livestock|polled]], as the genes determining sex and those determining horns are closely linked. Breeding together two genetically polled goats results in a high number of [[Intersex (biology)|intersex]] individuals among the offspring, which are typically sterile.<ref name="americangoatsociety.com"/> Their horns are made of living bone surrounded by [[keratin]] and other [[proteins]], and are used for defense, dominance, territoriality,<ref name="SmithSherman2011">{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Mary C. |author2=David M. Sherman |title=Goat Medicine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RJS9NEpYnd8C |date=November 16, 2011 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-119-94952-7 |access-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321193031/https://books.google.com/books?id=RJS9NEpYnd8C |url-status=live}}</ref> and thermoregulation.<ref name="Taylor 1966 pp. 127–139">{{cite journal |last=Taylor |first=Charles R. |date=1966 |title=The Vascularity and Possible Thermoregulatory Function of the Horns in Goats |journal=Physiological Zoology |volume=39 |issue=2 |pages=127–139 |doi=10.1086/physzool.39.2.30152426 |s2cid=88164340}}</ref> Both male and female goats may have beards, and many types of goat (most commonly dairy goats, dairy-cross [[Boer goat |Boers]], and [[pygmy goat]]s) may have [[Wattle (anatomy) |wattles]], one dangling from each side of the neck.<ref>[http://www.tripleigoats.com/faq.htm Frequently Asked Questions – Triple I Goats] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225022244/https://www.tripleigoats.com/faq.htm |date=February 25, 2021 }}, Tripleigoats.com</ref> Goats have horizontal, slit-shaped [[pupil]]s, allowing them to see well by both night and day, and giving them a wide field of vision on either side to detect predators, while avoiding being dazzled by sunlight from above.<ref name="Feltman 2015">{{cite news |last1=Feltman |first1=Rachel |title=Here's why goats have those freaky eyes |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/08/10/heres-why-goats-have-those-freaky-eyes/ |access-date=25 October 2024 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=August 10, 2015}}</ref> Goats have no tear ducts.<ref name="Animals With No Tear Ducts">{{cite web |title=ANIMALS WITH NO TEAR DUCTS |url=https://animals.mom.com/animals-tear-ducts-9716.html |website=Pets on Mom.com |access-date=October 17, 2021 |archive-date=October 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017234338/https://animals.mom.com/animals-tear-ducts-9716.html |url-status=live }}</ref>


Goats are [[ruminants]]. They have a four-chambered stomach consisting of the [[rumen]], the [[reticulum (anatomy) |reticulum]], the [[omasum]], and the [[abomasum]]. As with other mammal ruminants, they are even-toed ungulates. The females have an [[udder]] consisting of two teats, in contrast to cattle, which have four teats.<ref>Taylor, R.E., ''Scientific Farm Animal Production: An Introduction to Animal Science'', 6th ed, Upper Saddle River (Prentice Hall) 1998</ref> An exception to this is the [[Boer goat]], which sometimes may have up to eight teats.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boergoatshome.com/genetic-goat-flaws.php |title=What is a Genetic Flaw in a Boer Goat? |access-date=November 12, 2014 |website=Boer Goats Home |last=Bowman |first=Gail |archive-date=November 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112211106/http://www.boergoatshome.com/genetic-goat-flaws.php |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://roosterridgeboergoats.com/articles/choosing-your-4h-boer-goat-doe-guide-4hers |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141112193133/http://roosterridgeboergoats.com/articles/choosing-your-4h-boer-goat-doe-guide-4hers |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 12, 2014 |title=Choosing Your Boer Goat- How Do I Know What to Look For? |access-date=November 12, 2014 |website=Rooster Ridge Boer Goats }}</ref> Goats are [[diploid]] with two sets of 30 chromosomes.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Iannuzzi |first1=Leopoldo |last2=Meo |first2=Giulia Pia |last3=Perucatti |first3=Angela |date=2004-05-28 |title=An Improved Characterization of Goat Chromosomes by Means of G- and R-band Comparison |journal=Hereditas |volume=120 |issue=3 |pages=245–251 |doi=10.1111/j.1601-5223.1994.00245.x |pmid=7928388 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
Goats are [[ruminants]]. They have a four-chambered stomach consisting of the [[rumen]], the [[reticulum (anatomy) |reticulum]], the [[omasum]], and the [[abomasum]]. As with other mammal ruminants, they are even-toed ungulates. The females have an [[udder]] consisting of two teats, in contrast to cattle, which have four teats.<ref>Taylor, R.E., ''Scientific Farm Animal Production: An Introduction to Animal Science'', 6th ed, Upper Saddle River (Prentice Hall) 1998</ref> An exception to this is the [[Boer goat]], which sometimes may have up to eight teats.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boergoatshome.com/genetic-goat-flaws.php |title=What is a Genetic Flaw in a Boer Goat? |access-date=November 12, 2014 |website=Boer Goats Home |last=Bowman |first=Gail |archive-date=November 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112211106/http://www.boergoatshome.com/genetic-goat-flaws.php |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://roosterridgeboergoats.com/articles/choosing-your-4h-boer-goat-doe-guide-4hers |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141112193133/http://roosterridgeboergoats.com/articles/choosing-your-4h-boer-goat-doe-guide-4hers |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 12, 2014 |title=Choosing Your Boer Goat- How Do I Know What to Look For? |access-date=November 12, 2014 |website=Rooster Ridge Boer Goats }}</ref> Goats are [[diploid]] with two sets of 30 chromosomes.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Iannuzzi |first1=Leopoldo |last2=Meo |first2=Giulia Pia |last3=Perucatti |first3=Angela |date=2004-05-28 |title=An Improved Characterization of Goat Chromosomes by Means of G- and R-band Comparison |journal=Hereditas |volume=120 |issue=3 |pages=245–251 |doi=10.1111/j.1601-5223.1994.00245.x |pmid=7928388 |doi-access=free }}</ref>


<gallery mode=packed>
<gallery mode=packed heights=175>
File:Goat skeleton.jpg |Skeleton
File:Goat skeleton (cropped).jpg|Skeleton
File:Closeup of goat eye.jpg |Eye with horizontal pupil
File:Closeup of goat eye.jpg |Eye with horizontal pupil
</gallery>
</gallery>

=== Comparison with sheep ===

[[Sheep]] and goats are closely related: both are in the subfamily [[Caprinae]]. However, they are separate species, so [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrids]] rarely occur and are always infertile. A hybrid of a ewe and a buck is called a [[sheep-goat hybrid]]. Visual differences between sheep and goats include the beard of goats and the divided upper lip of sheep. Sheep tails hang down, even when short or [[Docking (animal)|docked]], while the short tails of goats are held upwards. Sheep breeds are often naturally [[Polled livestock|polled]] (either in both sexes or just in the female), while naturally polled goats are rare (though many are polled artificially). Males of the two species differ in that buck goats acquire a unique and strong odor during the [[Rut (mammalian reproduction)|rut]], whereas rams do not.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rose |first1=Paul |title=Do ewe know your sheep from your goats? We're not kidding about species differences! |url=https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/behavioural-differences-sheep-goats |website=Improve Veterinary Practice |access-date=29 October 2024 |date=21 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129192617/https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/behavioural-differences-sheep-goats |archive-date=29 November 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>


== Behavior and ecology ==
== Behavior and ecology ==
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=== Reproduction ===
=== Reproduction ===

{{redirect|Goat sex|the shock site|goatse.cx}}


Goats reach puberty between three and 15 months of age, depending on breed and nutritional status. Many breeders prefer to postpone breeding until the doe has reached 70% of the adult weight, but this separation is rarely possible in extensively managed, open-range herds.<ref>Payne, William J.A., ''An Introduction to Animal Husbandry in the Tropics'', 5th ed, Oxford (Blackwell Science) 1999</ref>
Goats reach puberty between three and 15 months of age, depending on breed and nutritional status. Many breeders prefer to postpone breeding until the doe has reached 70% of the adult weight, but this separation is rarely possible in extensively managed, open-range herds.<ref>Payne, William J.A., ''An Introduction to Animal Husbandry in the Tropics'', 5th ed, Oxford (Blackwell Science) 1999</ref>


Bucks (intact males) of Swiss and northern breeds come into [[Rut (mammalian reproduction)|rut]] in the fall as with the does' heat cycles. Bucks of equatorial breeds may show seasonal reduced fertility, but as with the does, are capable of breeding at all times. Rut is characterized by a decrease in appetite and obsessive interest in the does.<ref name="SmithSherman2011"/> A buck in rut will display [[flehmen]] lip curling and will [[Self-anointing in animals#Ungulates|urinate on his forelegs and face]].<ref>Shackleton, D. M., and C. C. Shank. "[https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christopher_Shank3/publication/229196272_A_Review_of_the_Social_Behavior_of_Feral_and_Wild_Sheep_and_Goats/links/566763ab08aea62726ee8889.pdf A Review of the Social Behavior of Feral and Wild Sheep and Goats 1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127064652/https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christopher_Shank3/publication/229196272_A_Review_of_the_Social_Behavior_of_Feral_and_Wild_Sheep_and_Goats/links/566763ab08aea62726ee8889.pdf |date=November 27, 2018 }}." Journal of Animal Science 58.2 (1984): 500–509.</ref> Sebaceous scent glands at the base of the horns add to the male goat's odor, which is important to make him attractive to the female. Some does will not mate with a buck which has been descented.<ref name="SmithSherman2011"/>
Bucks (uncastrated males) of Swiss and northern breeds come into [[Rut (mammalian reproduction)|rut]] in the fall as with the does' heat cycles. Bucks of equatorial breeds may show seasonal reduced fertility, but as with the does, are capable of breeding at all times. Rut is characterized by a decrease in appetite and obsessive interest in the does.<ref name="SmithSherman2011"/> A buck in rut displays [[flehmen]] lip curling and [[Self-anointing in animals#Ungulates|urinates on his forelegs and face]].<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.2527/jas1984.582500x |title=A Review of the Social Behavior of Feral and Wild Sheep and Goats |date=1984 |last1=Shackleton |first1=D. M. |last2=Shank |first2=C. C. |journal=Journal of Animal Science |volume=58 |issue=2 |pages=500–509 }}</ref> Sebaceous scent glands at the base of the horns add to the male goat's odor, which is important to make him attractive to the female. Some does will not mate with a buck which has been had the scent glands removed.<ref name="SmithSherman2011"/>


[[Gestation]] length is approximately 150 days. [[Twins]] are the usual result, with single and [[multiple birth|triplet]] births also common. Less frequent are litters of [[quadruplet]], [[quintuplet]], and even [[sextuplet]] kids. Birthing, known as kidding, generally occurs uneventfully. Just before kidding, the doe will have a sunken area around the tail and hip, as well as heavy breathing. She may have a worried look, become restless and display great affection for her keeper. The mother often [[placentophagy|eats the placenta]], which gives her much-needed nutrients, helps stanch her bleeding, and parallels the behavior of wild [[herbivores]], such as deer, to reduce the lure of the birth scent for predators.<ref>{{cite video |people=Feichtenberger, Klaus, Jill Clarke, Elyse Eisenberg, and Otmar Penker (Writers and Directors) |date=2008 |title=Prince of the Alps |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/prince-of-the-alps/introduction/523/ |medium=Television Production |publisher=ORF/Nature |access-date=May 5, 2009 |time=Shortly after birth |quote='The mother eats the placenta to prevent predators from getting the scent.' |archive-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310112416/https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/prince-of-the-alps-introduction/523/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Rue">{{cite book |title=The Deer of North America |last=Roe III |first=Leonard Lee |year=2004 |publisher=Globe Pequot |isbn=978-1-59228-465-8 |page=224 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x3BfvgAACAAJ&pg=PA244 |quote=Almost all wild animals and most domestic ones eat the afterbirth as soon as they can. The primary reason, I think, is to get rid of it so that it will not attract predators. . .Canine scavengers throughout the world are attracted to herd animals when they give birth, for the placental sacs provide an easily scavenged feast.}}</ref>
[[Gestation]] length is approximately 150 days. [[Twins]] are the usual result, with single and [[multiple birth|triplet]] births also common. Less frequent are litters of [[quadruplet]], [[quintuplet]], and even [[sextuplet]] kids. Birthing, known as kidding, generally occurs uneventfully. Just before kidding, the doe will have a sunken area around the tail and hip, as well as heavy breathing. She may have a worried look, become restless and display great affection for her keeper. The mother often [[placentophagy|eats the placenta]], which gives her much-needed nutrients, helps stanch her bleeding, and parallels the behavior of wild [[herbivores]], such as deer, to reduce the lure of the birth scent for predators.<ref>{{cite video |people=Feichtenberger, Klaus, Jill Clarke, Elyse Eisenberg, and Otmar Penker (Writers and Directors) |date=2008 |title=Prince of the Alps |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/prince-of-the-alps/introduction/523/ |medium=Television Production |publisher=ORF/Nature |access-date=May 5, 2009 |time=Shortly after birth |quote='The mother eats the placenta to prevent predators from getting the scent.' |archive-date=March 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220310112416/https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/prince-of-the-alps-introduction/523/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Rue">{{cite book |title=The Deer of North America |last=Roe III |first=Leonard Lee |year=2004 |publisher=Globe Pequot |isbn=978-1-59228-465-8 |page=224 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x3BfvgAACAAJ&pg=PA244 |quote=Almost all wild animals and most domestic ones eat the afterbirth as soon as they can. The primary reason, I think, is to get rid of it so that it will not attract predators. . .Canine scavengers throughout the world are attracted to herd animals when they give birth, for the placental sacs provide an easily scavenged feast.}}</ref>


Freshening (coming into milk production) usually occurs at kidding, although milk production is also relatively common in unbred doelings of dairy breeds.<ref name="SmithSherman2011-q">{{cite book |author1=Mary C. Smith |author2=David M. Sherman |title=Goat Medicine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RJS9NEpYnd8C|date=November 16, 2011 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-119-94952-7 |quote=Udder development and even milk production are relatively common in unbred doelings of dairy breeds |access-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321193031/https://books.google.com/books?id=RJS9NEpYnd8C|url-status=live}}</ref> Milk production varies with the breed, age, quality, and diet of the doe; dairy goats generally produce between {{convert|1,500|and|4,000|lb|kg|abbr=on|order=flip}} of milk per 305-day [[lactation]]. On average, a good quality dairy doe will give at least {{convert|6|lb|kg|0|abbr=on|order=flip}} of milk per day while she is in milk. A first-time milker may produce less, or as much as {{convert|16|lb|kg|0|abbr=on|order=flip}}, or more of milk in exceptional cases. After the lactation, the doe will "dry off", typically after she has been bred. Occasionally, goats that have not been bred and are continuously milked will continue lactation beyond the typical 305 days.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dairygoatjournal.com/issues/84/84-6/Tim_King.html |title=Dairy Goat Journal. – raising goats – goat business |website=Dairygoatjournal.com|access-date=May 5, 2009 |archive-date=May 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502135839/http://www.dairygoatjournal.com/issues/84/84-6/Tim_King.html |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Male lactation#Nonhuman animal male lactation|Male lactation]] sometimes occurs in goats.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Kumar |first=Davendra |author2=S. Saha |author3=O.H. Chaturvedi |author4=Sushil Kumar |author5=J.S. Mann |author6=J.P. Mittal |author7=V.K. Singh |title=Lactation in Males |journal=ISSGPU – Indian Society for Sheep and Goat Production and Utilization Newsletter |issue=2 |url=http://www.issgpu.org/newsletter-2.htm#3 |access-date=December 31, 2009 |archive-date=September 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924214014/http://www.issgpu.org/newsletter-2.htm#3 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Freshening (coming into milk production) usually occurs at kidding, although milk production is also relatively common in unbred doelings of dairy breeds.<ref name="SmithSherman2011-q">{{cite book |author1=Mary C. Smith |author2=David M. Sherman |title=Goat Medicine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RJS9NEpYnd8C|date=November 16, 2011 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-119-94952-7 |quote=Udder development and even milk production are relatively common in unbred doelings of dairy breeds |access-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321193031/https://books.google.com/books?id=RJS9NEpYnd8C|url-status=live}}</ref> Milk production varies with the breed, age, quality, and diet of the doe; dairy goats generally produce between {{convert|1,500|and|4,000|lb|kg|abbr=on|order=flip}} of milk per 305-day [[lactation]]. On average, a good quality dairy doe will give at least {{convert|6|lb|kg|0|abbr=on|order=flip}} of milk per day while she is in milk. A first-time milker may produce less, or as much as {{convert|16|lb|kg|0|abbr=on|order=flip}}, or more of milk in exceptional cases. After the lactation, the doe will "dry off", typically after she has been bred. Occasionally, goats that have not been bred and are continuously milked will continue lactation beyond the typical 305 days.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dairygoatjournal.com/issues/84/84-6/Tim_King.html |title=Dairy Goat Journal. – raising goats – goat business |website=Dairygoatjournal.com |access-date=May 5, 2009 |archive-date=May 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502135839/http://www.dairygoatjournal.com/issues/84/84-6/Tim_King.html |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Male lactation#Nonhuman animal male lactation|Male lactation]] sometimes occurs in goats.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Kumar |first=Davendra |author2=S. Saha |author3=O.H. Chaturvedi |author4=Sushil Kumar |author5=J.S. Mann |author6=J.P. Mittal |author7=V.K. Singh |title=Lactation in Males |journal=ISSGPU – Indian Society for Sheep and Goat Production and Utilization Newsletter |issue=2 |url=http://www.issgpu.org/newsletter-2.htm#3 |access-date=December 31, 2009 |archive-date=September 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924214014/http://www.issgpu.org/newsletter-2.htm#3 |url-status=live }}</ref>


<gallery mode=packed>
<gallery mode=packed>
File:Goat kid in char of Sirajganj, Bangladesh 05.jpg|Goat kid
File:Goat kid in char of Sirajganj, Bangladesh 05.jpg|Female suckling two kids
File:Domestic goat kid in capeweed.jpg|A two-month-old goat kid in a field of [[Arctotheca calendula|capeweed]]
File:Domestic goat kid in capeweed.jpg|A two-month-old kid in a field of [[Arctotheca calendula|capeweed]]
File:Grenadine Goat and Kids.jpg|A female and two kids
File:Grenadine Goat and Kids.jpg|A female and two kids
</gallery>
</gallery>
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{{further|List of goat breeds}}
{{further|List of goat breeds}}


[[Animal husbandry|Husbandry]], or animal care and use, varies by region and culture. The minimal requirements for goats include a [[grazing]] area or the bringing of [[fodder]] to penned animals, with enough hayracks for all of them to feed simultaneously; fresh water; [[salt lick]]s; space for the animals to exercise; and disposal of soiled bedding.<ref>{{cite web |title=Keeping Goats |url=https://www.britishgoatsociety.com/services/keeping-goats/ |publisher=British Goat Society |access-date=25 October 2024}}</ref>
[[Animal husbandry|Husbandry]], or animal care and use, varies by region and culture. The minimal requirements for goats include a [[grazing]] area or the bringing of [[fodder]] to penned animals, with enough hayracks for all of them to feed simultaneously; fresh water; [[salt lick]]s; space for the animals to exercise; and disposal of soiled bedding.<ref>{{cite web |title=Keeping Goats |url=https://www.britishgoatsociety.com/services/keeping-goats/ |publisher=British Goat Society |access-date=25 October 2024 |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419161850/https://www.britishgoatsociety.com/services/keeping-goats/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


In Africa and the Middle East, goats are typically run in flocks with sheep. This maximizes the production per acre, as goats and sheep prefer different food plants. Multiple types of goat-raising are found in Ethiopia, where four main types have been identified: pastured in annual crop systems, in perennial crop systems, with cattle, and in arid areas, under [[Nomadic pastoralism|pastoral (nomadic) herding]] systems. In all four systems, however, goats were typically kept in extensive systems, with few purchased inputs.<ref name="Gizaw Tegegne 2010">{{cite report |last1=Gizaw |first1=S. |last2=Tegegne |first2=A. |last3=Gebremedhin |first3=B. |last4=Hoekstra |first4=D. |year=2010 |title=Sheep and goat production and marketing systems in Ethiopia: Characteristics and strategies for improvement |work=IPMS (Improving Productivity and Market Success) of Ethiopian Farmers Project, Working Paper No. 23 |location=Nairobi, Kenya |url=http://hdl.handle.net/10568/2238 |publisher=[[International Livestock Research Institute]] |hdl=10568/2238 |access-date=February 20, 2011 |archive-date=January 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120231202/https://cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/2238 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In Africa and the Middle East, goats are typically run in flocks with sheep. This maximizes the production per acre, as goats and sheep prefer different food plants. Multiple types of goat-raising are found in Ethiopia, where four main types have been identified: pastured in annual crop systems, in perennial crop systems, with cattle, and in arid areas, under [[Nomadic pastoralism|pastoral (nomadic) herding]] systems. In all four systems, however, goats were typically kept in extensive systems, with few purchased inputs.<ref name="Gizaw Tegegne 2010">{{cite report |last1=Gizaw |first1=S. |last2=Tegegne |first2=A. |last3=Gebremedhin |first3=B. |last4=Hoekstra |first4=D. |year=2010 |title=Sheep and goat production and marketing systems in Ethiopia: Characteristics and strategies for improvement |work=IPMS (Improving Productivity and Market Success) of Ethiopian Farmers Project, Working Paper No. 23 |location=Nairobi, Kenya |url=http://hdl.handle.net/10568/2238 |publisher=[[International Livestock Research Institute]] |hdl=10568/2238 |access-date=February 20, 2011 |archive-date=January 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120231202/https://cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/2238 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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== Uses ==
== Uses ==


Goats are used to provide [[milk]] and specialty wools, and to [[Pack goat|carry loads]], and as meat and [[Goatskin (material)|goatskin]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Mahmoud |first=Abdel Aziz |title=Present status of the world goat populations and their productivity |journal=Lohmann Information |volume=45 |issue=2 |date=October 2010 |page=43 |url=http://www.lohmann-information.com/content/l_i_45_artikel17.pdf |publisher=[[Lohmann (company)|Lohmann Group]] |access-date=February 20, 2011 |archive-date=May 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514052635/http://www.lohmann-information.com/content/l_i_45_artikel17.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Coffey |first1=Linda |last2=Hale |first2=Margo |last3=Wells |first3=Ann |url=http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/goatoverview.html |website=attra.ncat.org |date=August 2004 |title=Goats: Sustainable Production Overview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204014920/http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/goatoverview.html |archive-date=February 4, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Some [[Charitable organization|charities]] provide goats to [[Poverty|impoverished]] people in poor countries, in the belief that having useful things alleviates poverty better than cash. The cost of obtaining goats and then distributing them can however be high.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Blattman |first1=Christopher |last2=Niehaus |first2=Paul |title=Show them the money: Why giving cash helps alleviate poverty |journal=Foreign Affairs |volume=93 |issue=3 |year=2014 |pages=117–126 |jstor=24483411 |url=http://www.relooney.com/NS4053/00_NS4053_92.pdf}}</ref>
Goats are used to provide [[milk]] and specialty wools, and as meat and [[Goatskin (material)|goatskin]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Mahmoud |first=Abdel Aziz |title=Present status of the world goat populations and their productivity |journal=Lohmann Information |volume=45 |issue=2 |date=October 2010 |page=43 |url=http://www.lohmann-information.com/content/l_i_45_artikel17.pdf |publisher=[[Lohmann (company)|Lohmann Group]] |access-date=February 20, 2011 |archive-date=May 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514052635/http://www.lohmann-information.com/content/l_i_45_artikel17.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Coffey |first1=Linda |last2=Hale |first2=Margo |last3=Wells |first3=Ann |url=http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/goatoverview.html |website=attra.ncat.org |date=August 2004 |title=Goats: Sustainable Production Overview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204014920/http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/goatoverview.html |archive-date=February 4, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Some [[Charitable organization|charities]] provide goats to [[Poverty|impoverished]] people in poor countries, in the belief that having useful things alleviates poverty better than cash. The cost of obtaining goats and then distributing them can however be high.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Blattman |first1=Christopher |last2=Niehaus |first2=Paul |title=Show them the money: Why giving cash helps alleviate poverty |journal=Foreign Affairs |volume=93 |issue=3 |year=2014 |pages=117–126 |jstor=24483411 |url=http://www.relooney.com/NS4053/00_NS4053_92.pdf |access-date=October 25, 2024 |archive-date=March 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316075437/https://relooney.com/NS4053/00_NS4053_92.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>


=== Meat ===
=== Meat ===
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{{see also|List of goat dishes}}
{{see also|List of goat dishes}}


The taste of goat kid meat is similar to that of [[lamb and mutton|spring lamb]] meat;<ref name=LifeMag1945>{{cite book |title=Milk Goats |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dUgEAAAAMBAJ&q=goat+tastes+like+lamb&pg=PA57 |date=June 18, 1945 |publisher=Life |access-date=July 6, 2010 |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321192933/https://books.google.com/books?id=dUgEAAAAMBAJ&q=goat+tastes+like+lamb&pg=PA57#v=snippet&q=goat%20tastes%20like%20lamb&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref> in fact, in the English-speaking islands of the [[Caribbean]], and in [[South Asia]], the word '[[Lamb and mutton|mutton]]' denotes both goat and sheep meat.<ref>Janet Groene, Gordon Groene, ''U.S. Caribbean Guide'', 1998, {{isbn|1883323878}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=vh3eancwP-YC&q=goat%20mutton p. 81]</ref><ref name=HT>{{cite news|title=Whose goat is it anyway?|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch-stories/whose-goat-is-it-anyway/article1-809563.aspx|access-date=15 May 2015|newspaper=Hindustan Times |date=11 February 2012}}</ref> However, some compare the taste of goat meat to [[veal]] or [[venison]], depending on the age and condition of the goat. Its flavor is said to be primarily linked to the presence of 4-methyl[[Octanoic Acid|octanoic]] and 4-methyl[[nonanoic acid]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Cramer |first=D. A. |date=1983 |title=Chemical compounds implicated in lamb flavor |journal=Food Technology |issue=37 |pages=249–257}} and {{cite journal|last1=Wong |first1=E. |last2=Nixon |first2=L. N. |last3=Johnson |first3=B. C. |date=1975 |title=The contribution of 4-methyloctanoic (hircinoic) acid to mutton and goat meat flavor |journal=New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=261–266|doi=10.1080/00288233.1975.10423642|doi-access=free |bibcode=1975NZJAR..18..261W }} Both articles cited in: {{cite journal |url=https://www.thaiscience.info/Article%20for%20ThaiScience/Article/1/10015445.pdf |title=Chemical and Sensory Characteristics of Emulsion Goat Meat Sausages Containing Pork Fat or Shortening |author1=Intarapichet, K. |author2=Sihaboot, W. |author3=Chungsiriwat, P. |journal=ASEAN Food Journal |location=Malaysia |year=1995 |access-date=March 27, 2021 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331063730/https://www.thaiscience.info/Article%20for%20ThaiScience/Article/1/10015445.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The meat is made into dishes such as [[goat curry]],<ref name="Taffe 2013 p. 14">{{cite book |last=Taffe |first=M. |title=The Original Jamaican Curry Goat Recipe |publisher=Booktango |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4689-2551-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=62XhMkm27gcC&pg=PA14 |page=14}}</ref> [[sate kambing|mutton satay]],<ref name ="JPSateKambing">{{cite news |title=Just a slice of mutton |author=Suryatini N. Ganie |date=13 June 2010 |url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/06/13/just-a-slice-mutton.html |newspaper=The Jakarta Post |access-date=26 May 2015}}</ref> and ''[[capra e fagioli]]''.<ref name="ilgo_Lost">{{cite web |title=Lo stufato di capra e fagioli |date=February 21, 2018 |accessdate=15 February 2019 |url= https://www.ilgolosario.it/assaggi-e-news/attualita/stufato-di-capra-e-fagioli |language=it |trans-title=Goat and bean stew}}</ref>
The taste of goat kid meat is similar to that of [[lamb and mutton|spring lamb]] meat;<ref name=LifeMag1945>{{cite book |title=Milk Goats |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dUgEAAAAMBAJ&q=goat+tastes+like+lamb&pg=PA57 |date=June 18, 1945 |publisher=Life |access-date=July 6, 2010 |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321192933/https://books.google.com/books?id=dUgEAAAAMBAJ&q=goat+tastes+like+lamb&pg=PA57#v=snippet&q=goat%20tastes%20like%20lamb&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref> in fact, in the English-speaking islands of the [[Caribbean]], and in [[South Asia]], the word '[[Lamb and mutton|mutton]]' denotes both goat and sheep meat.<ref>Janet Groene, Gordon Groene, ''U.S. Caribbean Guide'', 1998, {{isbn|1883323878}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=vh3eancwP-YC&q=goat%20mutton p. 81] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510190117/https://books.google.com/books?id=vh3eancwP-YC&q=goat%20mutton |date=May 10, 2024 }}</ref><ref name=HT>{{cite news|title=Whose goat is it anyway?|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch-stories/whose-goat-is-it-anyway/article1-809563.aspx|access-date=15 May 2015|newspaper=Hindustan Times|date=11 February 2012|archive-date=December 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225054153/https://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/whose-goat-is-it-anyway/story-iUTujy9czvoPPMoUKrTtqI.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, some compare the taste of goat meat to [[veal]] or [[venison]], depending on the age and condition of the goat. Its flavor is said to be primarily linked to the presence of 4-methyl[[Octanoic Acid|octanoic]] and 4-methyl[[nonanoic acid]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Cramer |first=D. A. |date=1983 |title=Chemical compounds implicated in lamb flavor |journal=Food Technology |issue=37 |pages=249–257}} and {{cite journal|last1=Wong |first1=E. |last2=Nixon |first2=L. N. |last3=Johnson |first3=B. C. |date=1975 |title=The contribution of 4-methyloctanoic (hircinoic) acid to mutton and goat meat flavor |journal=New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=261–266|doi=10.1080/00288233.1975.10423642|doi-access=free |bibcode=1975NZJAR..18..261W }} Both articles cited in: {{cite journal |url=https://www.thaiscience.info/Article%20for%20ThaiScience/Article/1/10015445.pdf |title=Chemical and Sensory Characteristics of Emulsion Goat Meat Sausages Containing Pork Fat or Shortening |author1=Intarapichet, K. |author2=Sihaboot, W. |author3=Chungsiriwat, P. |journal=ASEAN Food Journal |location=Malaysia |year=1995 |access-date=March 27, 2021 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331063730/https://www.thaiscience.info/Article%20for%20ThaiScience/Article/1/10015445.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The meat is made into dishes such as [[goat curry]],<ref name="Taffe 2013 p. 14">{{cite book |last=Taffe |first=M. |title=The Original Jamaican Curry Goat Recipe |publisher=Booktango |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4689-2551-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=62XhMkm27gcC&pg=PA14 |page=14}}</ref> [[sate kambing|mutton satay]],<ref name ="JPSateKambing">{{cite news |title=Just a slice of mutton |author=Suryatini N. Ganie |date=13 June 2010 |url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/06/13/just-a-slice-mutton.html |newspaper=The Jakarta Post |access-date=26 May 2015}}</ref> and ''[[capra e fagioli]]''.<ref name="ilgo_Lost">{{cite web |title=Lo stufato di capra e fagioli |date=February 21, 2018 |accessdate=15 February 2019 |url=https://www.ilgolosario.it/assaggi-e-news/attualita/stufato-di-capra-e-fagioli |language=it |trans-title=Goat and bean stew |archive-date=February 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215215902/https://www.ilgolosario.it/assaggi-e-news/attualita/stufato-di-capra-e-fagioli |url-status=live }}</ref>


=== Milk, butter, and cheese ===
=== Milk, butter, and cheese ===
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{{see also|List of goat milk cheeses}}
{{see also|List of goat milk cheeses}}


Goats produce about 2% of the world's total annual milk supply.<ref>FAO. 1997. 1996 Production Yearbook. Food Agr. Organ., UN. Rome, Italy.</ref> Dairy goats in their prime (generally around the third or fourth lactation cycle) average—{{convert|6|to|8|lb|abbr=on|order=flip}}—of milk production daily—roughly {{convert|3|to|4|U.S.qt|L|abbr=on|order=flip}}—during a ten-month [[lactation]], producing more just after freshening and gradually dropping in production toward the end of their lactation. The milk averages around 3.5% [[butterfat]].<ref>[http://www.adga.org/ American Dairy Goat Association] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080913021606/http://www.adga.org/ |date=September 13, 2008 }}, adga.org</ref>
Goats produce about 2% of the world's total annual milk supply.<ref>FAO. 1997. 1996 Production Yearbook. Food Agr. Organ., UN. Rome, Italy.</ref> Dairy goats produce an average of {{convert|1200|to|2600|lb|abbr=on|order=flip}} of milk during an average 284-day [[lactation]].<ref name="IFAS">{{cite web |last1=Toledo |first1=Izabella |last2=Dacey |first2=Justine |title=Dairy Goat Facts |url=https://animal.ifas.ufl.edu/media/animalifasufledu/small-ruminant-website/fact-sheets/Dairy-Goat-Fact-Sheet.pdf |publisher=University of Florida IFAS Extension |access-date=29 October 2024}}</ref>
Goat milk is processed into products including [[Goat's milk cheese|cheese]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/encyclopedia/termdetail/0,7770,1237,00.html |title=Chèvre cheese |date=2008 |website=foodnetwork.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090110074428/http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/encyclopedia/termdetail/0,7770,1237,00.html |archive-date=January 10, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and ''[[Dulce de leche]]''.<ref name="edant2">{{cite web |date=6 April 2003 |title=Origen mítico del dulce de leche |language=es |trans-title=The Mythical Origin of Dulce de Leche |url=https://www.clarin.com/sociedad/origen-mitico-dulce-leche_0_r1nl5JflRtx.html |access-date=8 June 2014 |publisher=[[Clarín (Argentine newspaper)|Clarín]] |archive-date=9 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809045424/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/2003/04/06/s-04104.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
The milk can contain between around 3.5% and 5% [[butterfat]] according to breed.<ref>{{cite web |title=British Goats Are Best |url=https://www.britishgoatsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Web_3-British-Goats-Are-Best.pdf |publisher=British Goat Society |access-date=29 October 2024}}</ref> Goat milk is processed into products including [[Goat's milk cheese|cheese]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/encyclopedia/termdetail/0,7770,1237,00.html |title=Chèvre cheese |date=2008 |website=foodnetwork.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090110074428/http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/encyclopedia/termdetail/0,7770,1237,00.html |archive-date=January 10, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and ''[[Dulce de leche]]''.<ref name="edant2">{{cite web |date=6 April 2003 |title=Origen mítico del dulce de leche |language=es |trans-title=The Mythical Origin of Dulce de Leche |url=https://www.clarin.com/sociedad/origen-mitico-dulce-leche_0_r1nl5JflRtx.html |access-date=8 June 2014 |publisher=[[Clarín (Argentine newspaper)|Clarín]] |archive-date=9 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809045424/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/2003/04/06/s-04104.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>


=== Mohair and cashmere wool ===
=== Mohair and cashmere wool ===
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{{further|Mohair|Cashmere wool}}
{{further|Mohair|Cashmere wool}}


Most goats have soft insulating hairs nearer the skin, and long [[guard hairs]] on the surface. The soft hairs are the ones valued by the [[textile industry]]; the material goes by names such as down, [[Cashmere wool|cashmere]] and [[Pashmina (material)|pashmina]]. The coarse guard hairs are of little value as they are too coarse, difficult to spin and to dye. The [[cashmere goat]] produces a commercial quantity of fine and soft [[cashmere wool]], one of the most expensive natural fibers commercially produced. It is harvested once a year, yielding around {{convert|9|oz|g|abbr=on|order=flip}} of down per animal.<ref name="AGN">{{cite web |title=Australian Goat Notes |url=http://www.acga.org.au/goatnotes/A002.php |publisher=Australian Cashmere Growers Association |accessdate=2008-07-22 |archive-date=2018-07-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180721211549/http://www.acga.org.au/goatnotes/A002.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Angora breed of goats produces long, curling, lustrous locks of [[mohair]]. The entire body of the goat is covered with mohair and there are no guard hairs. The locks constantly grow to four inches or more in length. Angora crossbreeds, such as the [[Pygora goat|pygora]] and the [[nigora]], have been created to produce mohair and/or cashgora on a smaller, easier-to-manage animal. The wool is [[Sheep shearing|shorn]] twice a year, with an average yield of about {{convert|10|lb|kg|abbr=on|order=flip}}.<ref>{{cite book |last=Shelton |first= Maurice |title=Angora Goat and Mohair Production |publisher=Anchor Publications |year=1993 |url=http://sanangelo.tamu.edu/files/2011/11/AngoraGoatandMohairProduction_21.pdf}}</ref>
Most goats have soft insulating hairs nearer the skin, and long [[guard hairs]] on the surface. The soft hairs are the ones valued by the [[textile industry]]; the material goes by names such as down, [[Cashmere wool|cashmere]] and [[Pashmina (material)|pashmina]]. The coarse guard hairs are of little value as they are too coarse, difficult to spin and to dye. The [[cashmere goat]] produces a commercial quantity of fine and soft [[cashmere wool]], one of the most expensive natural fibers commercially produced. It is harvested once a year.<ref name="AGN">{{cite web |title=Australian Goat Notes |url=http://www.acga.org.au/goatnotes/A002.php |publisher=Australian Cashmere Growers Association |accessdate=2008-07-22 |archive-date=2018-07-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180721211549/http://www.acga.org.au/goatnotes/A002.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Angora breed of goats produces long, curling, lustrous locks of [[mohair]]. The entire body of the goat is covered with mohair and there are no guard hairs. The locks constantly grow to four inches or more in length. Angora crossbreeds, such as the [[Pygora goat|pygora]] and the [[nigora]], have been created to produce mohair and/or cashgora on a smaller, easier-to-manage animal. The wool is [[Sheep shearing|shorn]] twice a year, with an average yield of about {{convert|10|lb|kg|abbr=on|order=flip}}.<ref>{{cite book |last=Shelton |first=Maurice |title=Angora Goat and Mohair Production |publisher=Anchor Publications |year=1993 |url=http://sanangelo.tamu.edu/files/2011/11/AngoraGoatandMohairProduction_21.pdf |access-date=October 25, 2024 |archive-date=May 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522085623/http://sanangelo.tamu.edu/files/2011/11/AngoraGoatandMohairProduction_21.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>


=== Land clearing ===
=== Land clearing ===
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=== Medical training ===
=== Medical training ===


As a goat's anatomy and physiology is not too dissimilar from that of humans, some countries' militaries use goats to train [[combat medic]]s. In the United States, goats have become the main animal species used for this purpose after the Pentagon phased out using dogs for medical training in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite news |title=Who, What, Why: Does shooting goats save soldiers' lives? |first=Jon |last=Kelly |periodical=BBC News Magazine |date=March 8, 2013 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21620521 |access-date=June 20, 2018 |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109004759/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21620521 |url-status=live }}</ref> While modern [[Mannequin#Medical education|mannequins]] used in medical training are quite efficient in simulating the behavior of a human body, trainees feel that "the goat exercise provide[s] a sense of urgency that only real life trauma can provide". The practice has elicited outcry from [[Animal rights movement|animal-rights]] groups.<ref>{{cite news |title=Military is required to justify using animals in medic training after pressure from activists |first=Ernesto |last=Londoño |date=February 24, 2013 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-02-24/world/37276084_1_animal-activists-human-simulators-civilian-trauma |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228111659/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-02-24/world/37276084_1_animal-activists-human-simulators-civilian-trauma |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 28, 2013}}</ref>
Some countries' militaries use goats to train [[combat medic]]s. In the United States, goats have become the main animal species used for this purpose after the Pentagon phased out using dogs for medical training in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite news |title=Who, What, Why: Does shooting goats save soldiers' lives? |first=Jon |last=Kelly |periodical=BBC News Magazine |date=March 8, 2013 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21620521 |access-date=June 20, 2018 |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109004759/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21620521 |url-status=live }}</ref> While modern [[Mannequin#Medical education|mannequins]] used in medical training are quite efficient in simulating the behavior of a human body, trainees feel that "the goat exercise provide[s] a sense of urgency that only real life trauma can provide". The practice has elicited outcry from [[Animal rights movement|animal-rights]] groups.<ref>{{cite news |title=Military is required to justify using animals in medic training after pressure from activists |first=Ernesto |last=Londoño |date=February 24, 2013 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/military-is-required-to-justify-using-animals-in-medic-training-after-pressure-from-activists/2013/02/24/9b19e4ee-7d3e-11e2-82e8-61a46c2cde3d_story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228111659/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-02-24/world/37276084_1_animal-activists-human-simulators-civilian-trauma |url-status=live |archive-date=February 28, 2013}}</ref>


=== Pets ===
=== Pets ===
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{{anchor|Religion,_mythology,_and_folklore}}
{{anchor|Religion,_mythology,_and_folklore}}


== In human culture ==
== In culture ==


=== Mythology and folklore ===
=== Mythology, folklore and astrology ===


In [[Classical mythology|classical myth]], [[Amalthea (mythology)|Amalthea]] is either a nymph who fed the infant god [[Jupiter (god)|Jupiter]] with goat's milk, or the goat who suckled the infant. In another legend, the god broke one of the goat's horns, endowing it with the power to fill itself with whatever its owner wanted, making it the [[cornucopia| cornucopia or horn of plenty]].<ref>{{cite dictionary |last=Smith |first=William |author-link=William Smith (lexicographer) |title=A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DA%3Aentry+group%3D18%3Aentry%3Damaltheia-bio-1 |publisher=Perseus.Tufts.edu |year=1870 |access-date=26 October 2024 |pages=A.18 |chapter=Amaltheia}}</ref>
In [[Classical mythology|classical myth]], [[Amalthea (mythology)|Amalthea]] is either a nymph who fed the infant god [[Jupiter (god)|Jupiter]] with goat's milk, or the goat who suckled the infant. In another legend, the god broke one of the goat's horns, endowing it with the power to fill itself with whatever its owner wanted, making it the [[cornucopia| cornucopia or horn of plenty]].<ref>{{cite dictionary |last=Smith |first=William |author-link=William Smith (lexicographer) |title=A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DA%3Aentry+group%3D18%3Aentry%3Damaltheia-bio-1 |publisher=Perseus.Tufts.edu |year=1870 |access-date=26 October 2024 |pages=A.18 |chapter=Amaltheia |archive-date=August 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230820111333/https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0104:alphabetic+letter=A:entry+group=18:entry=amaltheia-bio-1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
The ancient city of [[Ebla]] in [[Syria]] contains a tomb with a throne decorated with bronze goat heads, now called "The Tomb of the Lord of the Goats".<ref>"The Eighteenth Century BC Princes of Byblos and Ebla and the Chronology of the Middle Bronze Age", p. 161 ([https://www.academia.edu/1096021/The_Eighteenth_Century_BC_Princes_of_Byblos_and_Ebla_and_the_Chronology_of_the_Middle_Bronze_Age 161] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024213207/https://www.academia.edu/1096021/The_Eighteenth_Century_BC_Princes_of_Byblos_and_Ebla_and_the_Chronology_of_the_Middle_Bronze_Age |date=October 24, 2020 }})</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Matthiae |first=Paolo |author-link=Paolo Matthiae |title=Ebla: Archaeology and History |publisher=Routledge |edition=1st |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-13885065-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dvn2DwAAQBAJ&q=%22tomb+of+the+lord+of+the+goats%22 |translator1=Bates, R. |translator2=Bilardello, M. |translator3=Weston, A. |access-date=May 3, 2021 |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321193058/https://books.google.com/books?id=Dvn2DwAAQBAJ&q=%22tomb+of+the+lord+of+the+goats%22#v=snippet&q=%22tomb%20of%20the%20lord%20of%20the%20goats%22&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>
The ancient city of [[Ebla]] in [[Syria]] contains a tomb with a throne decorated with bronze goat heads, now called "The Tomb of the Lord of the Goats".<ref>"The Eighteenth Century BC Princes of Byblos and Ebla and the Chronology of the Middle Bronze Age", p. 161 ([https://www.academia.edu/1096021/The_Eighteenth_Century_BC_Princes_of_Byblos_and_Ebla_and_the_Chronology_of_the_Middle_Bronze_Age 161] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024213207/https://www.academia.edu/1096021/The_Eighteenth_Century_BC_Princes_of_Byblos_and_Ebla_and_the_Chronology_of_the_Middle_Bronze_Age |date=October 24, 2020 }})</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Matthiae |first=Paolo |author-link=Paolo Matthiae |title=Ebla: Archaeology and History |publisher=Routledge |edition=1st |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-13885065-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dvn2DwAAQBAJ&q=%22tomb+of+the+lord+of+the+goats%22 |translator1=Bates, R. |translator2=Bilardello, M. |translator3=Weston, A. |access-date=May 3, 2021 |archive-date=March 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321193058/https://books.google.com/books?id=Dvn2DwAAQBAJ&q=%22tomb+of+the+lord+of+the+goats%22#v=snippet&q=%22tomb%20of%20the%20lord%20of%20the%20goats%22&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>


According to [[Norse mythology]], the god of thunder, [[Thor]], has a [[chariot]] that is pulled by the goats [[Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr]] At night when he sets up camp, Thor eats the meat of the goats, but takes care that all bones remain whole. Then he wraps the remains up, and in the morning, the goats always come back to life to pull the chariot. When a farmer's son who is invited to share the meal breaks one of the goats' leg bones to suck the marrow, the animal's leg remains broken in the morning, and the boy is forced to serve Thor as a servant to compensate for the damage..<ref name=symbols>{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=J.C. |title=An illustrated encyclopaedia of traditional symbols |date=1979 |publisher=Thames and Hudson |isbn=978-0-500-27125-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc00coop_0/page/74 74] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc00coop_0/page/74}}</ref> Possibly related, the [[Yule goat]] (''Julbocken'') is a [[Scandinavia]]n [[Christmas]] tradition. It originally denoted the goat that was slaughtered around Yule, now more often a goat figure made out of straw. It is used for the custom of going door-to-door singing carols and getting food and drinks in return, often fruit, cakes and sweets. The [[Gävle goat]] is a giant version of the yule goat, erected every year in the Swedish city of [[Gävle]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Goat film |url=http://www.merjuligavle.se/English/VISIT-GAVLE/THE-CHRISTMAS-GOAT/Goat-film/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528014110/http://www.merjuligavle.se/English/VISIT-GAVLE/THE-CHRISTMAS-GOAT/Goat-film/ |archive-date=28 May 2013 |access-date=1 December 2012 |publisher=Mer Jul i Gävle}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=bocken |url=http://www.merjuligavle.se/upload/MerJul/filmer/bocken.avi |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320011830/http://www.merjuligavle.se/upload/MerJul/filmer/bocken.avi |archive-date=20 March 2012 |access-date=1 December 2012 |website=Mer Jul i Gävle}}</ref> In [[Finland]] the tradition of ''Nuutinpäivä''—[[St. Knut's Day]], January 13—involves young men dressed as goats (Finnish: ''Nuuttipukki'') who visit houses. Usually the dress was an inverted fur jacket, a leather or [[birch bark]] mask, and horns. Unlike the analogues [[Santa Claus]], Nuuttipukki was a scary character (cf. [[Krampus]]). The men dressed as Nuuttipukki wandered from house to house, came in, and typically demanded food from the household and especially leftover alcohol. In Finland the Nuuttipukki tradition is kept alive in areas of [[Satakunta]], [[Southwest Finland]] and [[Ostrobothnia (region)|Ostrobothnia]]. Nowadays the character is usually played by children and involves a happy encounter.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.satakunnankansa.fi/cs/Satellite/Satakunta/1194662115574/artikkeli/nuuttipukit+kolkuttelevat+ovilla+tanaan.html |title=Satakunnan Kansa |publisher=Satakunnankansa.fi |date=January 13, 2011 |access-date=January 13, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113214706/http://www.satakunnankansa.fi/cs/Satellite/Satakunta/1194662115574/artikkeli/nuuttipukit+kolkuttelevat+ovilla+tanaan.html |archive-date=January 13, 2014}}</ref>
According to [[Norse mythology]], the god of thunder, [[Thor]], has a [[chariot]] that is pulled by the goats [[Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr]] At night when he sets up camp, Thor eats the meat of the goats, but takes care that all bones remain whole. Then he wraps the remains up, and in the morning, the goats always come back to life to pull the chariot. When a farmer's son who is invited to share the meal breaks one of the goats' leg bones to suck the marrow, the animal's leg remains broken in the morning, and the boy is forced to serve Thor as a servant to compensate for the damage.<ref name=symbols>{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=J.C. |title=An illustrated encyclopaedia of traditional symbols |date=1979 |publisher=Thames and Hudson |isbn=978-0-500-27125-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc00coop_0/page/74 74] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc00coop_0/page/74}}</ref> Possibly related, the [[Yule goat]] (''Julbocken'') is a [[Scandinavia]]n [[Christmas]] tradition. It originally denoted the goat that was slaughtered around Yule, now more often a goat figure made out of straw. It is used for the custom of going door-to-door singing carols and getting food and drinks in return, often fruit, cakes and sweets. The [[Gävle goat]] is a giant version of the yule goat, erected every year in the Swedish city of [[Gävle]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Goat film |url=http://www.merjuligavle.se/English/VISIT-GAVLE/THE-CHRISTMAS-GOAT/Goat-film/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528014110/http://www.merjuligavle.se/English/VISIT-GAVLE/THE-CHRISTMAS-GOAT/Goat-film/ |archive-date=28 May 2013 |access-date=1 December 2012 |publisher=Mer Jul i Gävle}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=bocken |url=http://www.merjuligavle.se/upload/MerJul/filmer/bocken.avi |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320011830/http://www.merjuligavle.se/upload/MerJul/filmer/bocken.avi |archive-date=20 March 2012 |access-date=1 December 2012 |website=Mer Jul i Gävle}}</ref> In [[Finland]] the tradition of ''Nuutinpäivä''—[[St. Knut's Day]], January 13—involves young men dressed as goats (Finnish: ''Nuuttipukki'') who visit houses. Usually the dress was an inverted fur jacket, a leather or [[birch bark]] mask, and horns. Unlike the analogues [[Santa Claus]], Nuuttipukki was a scary character (cf. [[Krampus]]). The men dressed as Nuuttipukki wandered from house to house, came in, and typically demanded food from the household and especially leftover alcohol. In Finland the Nuuttipukki tradition is kept alive in areas of [[Satakunta]], [[Southwest Finland]] and [[Ostrobothnia (region)|Ostrobothnia]]. Nowadays the character is usually played by children and involves a happy encounter.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.satakunnankansa.fi/cs/Satellite/Satakunta/1194662115574/artikkeli/nuuttipukit+kolkuttelevat+ovilla+tanaan.html |title=Satakunnan Kansa |publisher=Satakunnankansa.fi |date=January 13, 2011 |access-date=January 13, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113214706/http://www.satakunnankansa.fi/cs/Satellite/Satakunta/1194662115574/artikkeli/nuuttipukit+kolkuttelevat+ovilla+tanaan.html |archive-date=January 13, 2014}}</ref>


The goat is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the [[Chinese zodiac]].<ref name= "huang">Huang, Wen. [https://www.chicagotribune.com/2003/01/31/year-of-the-sheep-goat-or-ram/ "Year of the Sheep, Goat or Ram?"] ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', January 31, 2003.</ref> Several mythological hybrid creatures contain goat parts, including the [[Chimera (mythology)|Chimera]].<ref>Peck, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0062:entry=chimaera-harpers "Chimaera"].</ref> The [[Capricornus|Capricorn]] constellation sign in the Western [[zodiac]] is usually depicted as a goat with a fish's tail.<ref name=Rogers1998>{{cite journal |first=John H. |last=Rogers |title=Origins of the ancient constellations: I.&nbsp;The Mesopotamian traditions |journal=Journal of the British Astronomical Association |volume=108 |year=1998 |pages=9–28 |bibcode=1998JBAA..108....9R}}</ref> [[Faun]]s and [[satyr]]s are mythological creatures with human bodies and goats' legs.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fracer |first=Robert |date=2014 |title=Gerulata: The Lamps: Roman Lamps in a Provincial Context |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k3xYCgAAQBAJ&q=satyr+and+the+traveler&pg=PA326 |editor1-last=Chrzanovsky |editor1-first=Laurent |editor2-last=Topoleanu |editor2-first=Florin |location=Prague, Czech Republic |publisher=Karolinum |isbn=978-80-246-2710-6 |page=326}}</ref> The lustful Greek god [[Pan (mythology)|Pan]] similarly has the upper body of a man and the horns and lower body of a goat.<ref name=symbols/> A [[goatee]] is a tuft of [[facial hair]] on a man's [[chin]], named for its resemblance to a goat's beard.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goatee |title=goatee |access-date=2024-04-12 |publisher=Merriam-Webster Dictionary}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
The goat is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the [[Chinese zodiac]].<ref name= "huang">Huang, Wen. [https://www.chicagotribune.com/2003/01/31/year-of-the-sheep-goat-or-ram/ "Year of the Sheep, Goat or Ram?"] ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', January 31, 2003.</ref> Several mythological hybrid creatures contain goat parts, including the [[Chimera (mythology)|Chimera]].<ref>Peck, [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0062:entry=chimaera-harpers "Chimaera"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011181119/https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0062:entry=chimaera-harpers |date=October 11, 2022 }}.</ref> The [[Capricornus|Capricorn]] constellation sign in the Western [[zodiac]] is usually depicted as a goat with a fish's tail.<ref name=Rogers1998>{{cite journal |first=John H. |last=Rogers |title=Origins of the ancient constellations: I.&nbsp;The Mesopotamian traditions |journal=Journal of the British Astronomical Association |volume=108 |year=1998 |pages=9–28 |bibcode=1998JBAA..108....9R}}</ref> [[Faun]]s and [[satyr]]s are mythological creatures with human bodies and goats' legs.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fracer |first=Robert |date=2014 |title=Gerulata: The Lamps: Roman Lamps in a Provincial Context |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k3xYCgAAQBAJ&q=satyr+and+the+traveler&pg=PA326 |editor1-last=Chrzanovsky |editor1-first=Laurent |editor2-last=Topoleanu |editor2-first=Florin |location=Prague, Czech Republic |publisher=Karolinum |isbn=978-80-246-2710-6 |page=326}}</ref> The lustful Greek god [[Pan (mythology)|Pan]] similarly has the upper body of a man and the horns and lower body of a goat.<ref name=symbols/> A [[goatee]] is a tuft of [[facial hair]] on a man's [[chin]], named for its resemblance to a goat's beard.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goatee |title=goatee |access-date=2024-04-12 |publisher=Merriam-Webster Dictionary}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>


<gallery mode=packed heights=150>
<gallery mode=packed heights=150>
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=== Religion ===
=== Religion ===


In Hinduism, [[Daksha]], one of the [[prajapati]], is sometimes depicted with the head of a male goat. A legend states that Daksha failed to invite [[Shiva]] to a sacrifice; Shiva beheaded Daksha, but when asked by Vishnu, restored Daksha to life with the head of a goat.<ref>{{cite book |last1=van der Geer |first1=Alexandra |title=Animals in Stone: Indian Mammals Sculptured Through Time |date=2008 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-9-00416819-0 |page=171 |url=https://brill.com/downloadpdf/book/9789047443568/B9789047443568-s015.pdf |chapter=Capra hircus, the Domestic Goat |access-date=October 29, 2024 |archive-date=November 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125183414/https://brill.com/downloadpdf/book/9789047443568/B9789047443568-s015.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
Goats are mentioned many times in the [[Bible]]. Their importance in ancient Israel is indicated by the seven different Hebrew and three Greek terms used in the Bible.<ref name="EDB">{{cite book |last1=Younker |first1=Randall W. |url=https://archive.org/details/eerdmansdictiona0000unse_i2l4/page/510 |title=Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible |date=2000 |publisher=W.B. Eerdmans |isbn=0802824005 |page=510 |url-access=registration}}</ref> A goat is considered a "clean" animal by [[Kosher|Jewish dietary laws]] and a kid was slaughtered for an honored guest. It was also acceptable for some kinds of sacrifices. Goat-hair curtains were used in the tent that contained the tabernacle ([[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 25:4). Its horns can be used instead of sheep's horn to make a [[shofar]].<ref name="Hearing Shofar">Chusid, Michael T. [http://hearingshofar.com/book.htm ''Hearing Shofar: The Still Small Voice of the Ram's Horn''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227002105/http://www.hearingshofar.com/book.htm |date=December 27, 2011 }}, 2009. Hearingshofar.com</ref> On [[Yom Kippur]], the festival of the Day of Atonement, two goats were chosen and lots were drawn for them. One was sacrificed and the other allowed to escape into the wilderness, symbolically carrying with it the sins of the community. From this comes the word "[[scapegoat]]".<ref>{{Bibleverse|Leviticus|16:21–22}}</ref> In Matthew 25:31–46, Jesus said that like a shepherd he will separate the nations, rewarding the sheep, those who have shown kindness, but punishing the goats.<ref name="EDB"/> [[Devil in Christianity|The devil]] is sometimes depicted, like [[Baphomet]], as a goat, making the animal a significant symbol throughout [[Satanism]]. The inverted [[pentagram]] of Satanism is sometimes depicted with a goat's head of Baphomet, which originated from the [[Church of Satan]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Introvigne |first=Massimo |author-link=Massimo Introvigne |year=2016 |title=Satanism: A Social History |chapter=Éliphas Lévi and the Baphomet |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nt8zDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA107 |location=[[Leiden]] and [[Boston]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |series=Aries Book Series: Texts and Studies in Western Esotericism |volume=21 |isbn=978-90-04-28828-7 |oclc=1030572947 |pages=105–109 }}</ref>
Goats are mentioned many times in the [[Bible]]. Their importance in ancient Israel is indicated by the seven different Hebrew and three Greek terms used in the Bible.<ref name="EDB">{{cite book |last1=Younker |first1=Randall W. |url=https://archive.org/details/eerdmansdictiona0000unse_i2l4/page/510 |title=Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible |date=2000 |publisher=W.B. Eerdmans |isbn=0802824005 |page=510 |url-access=registration}}</ref> A goat is considered a "clean" animal by [[Kosher|Jewish dietary laws]] and a kid was slaughtered for an honored guest. It was also acceptable for some kinds of sacrifices. Goat-hair curtains were used in the tent that contained the tabernacle ([[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 25:4). Its horns can be used instead of sheep's horn to make a [[shofar]].<ref name="Hearing Shofar">Chusid, Michael T. [http://hearingshofar.com/book.htm ''Hearing Shofar: The Still Small Voice of the Ram's Horn''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111227002105/http://www.hearingshofar.com/book.htm |date=December 27, 2011 }}, 2009. Hearingshofar.com</ref> On [[Yom Kippur]], the festival of the Day of Atonement, two goats were chosen and lots were drawn for them. One was sacrificed and the other allowed to escape into the wilderness, symbolically carrying with it the sins of the community. From this comes the word "[[scapegoat]]".<ref>{{Bibleverse|Leviticus|16:21–22}}</ref> In Matthew 25:31–46, Jesus said that like a shepherd he will separate the nations, rewarding the sheep, those who have shown kindness, but punishing the goats.<ref name="EDB"/> [[Devil in Christianity|The devil]] is sometimes depicted, like [[Baphomet]], as a goat, making the animal a significant symbol throughout [[Satanism]]. The inverted [[pentagram]] of Satanism is sometimes depicted with a goat's head of Baphomet, which originated from the [[Church of Satan]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Introvigne |first=Massimo |author-link=Massimo Introvigne |year=2016 |title=Satanism: A Social History |chapter=Éliphas Lévi and the Baphomet |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nt8zDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA107 |location=[[Leiden]] and [[Boston]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |series=Aries Book Series: Texts and Studies in Western Esotericism |volume=21 |isbn=978-90-04-28828-7 |oclc=1030572947 |pages=105–109 }}</ref>


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== See also ==
== See also ==

* [[Goat tower]]
* [[Goat tower]]
* [[Sheep–goat hybrid]]
* [[Sheep–goat hybrid]]
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110515043635/http://www.allgoats.com/ British Goat Society]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110515043635/http://www.allgoats.com/ British Goat Society]
* [http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/goats/ Goat breeds from the Department of Animal Science, Oklahoma State University]
* [http://www.iga-goatworld.com/ International Goat Association]
* [http://www.iga-goatworld.com/ International Goat Association]
* [http://www.napga.org/ North American Packgoats Association]
* [http://www.napga.org/ North American Packgoats Association]
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{{Artiodactyla|R.3}}
{{Artiodactyla|R.3}}
{{Milk by provenance}}


{{Taxonbar|from=Q2934}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2934}}
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[[Category:Capra (genus)]]
[[Category:Capra (genus)]]
[[Category:Goats|Goats]]
[[Category:Goats]]
[[Category:Goat's-milk cheeses]]
[[Category:Herbivorous mammals]]
[[Category:Herbivorous mammals]]
[[Category:Livestock]]
[[Category:Livestock]]

Latest revision as of 08:41, 19 November 2024

Domestic goat
Temporal range: 0.01–0 Ma
Neolithic–Recent
A pygmy goat on a tree stump
Domesticated
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Caprinae
Tribe: Caprini
Genus: Capra
Species:
C. hircus
Binomial name
Capra hircus
Synonyms

Capra aegagrus hircus Linnaeus, 1758
Capra depressa Linnaeus, 1758
Capra mambrica Linnaeus, 1758
Capra reversa Linnaeus, 1758

The goat or domestic goat (Capra hircus) is a species of goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (C. aegagrus) of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the family Bovidae, meaning it is closely related to the sheep. It was one of the first animals to be domesticated, in Iran around 10,000 years ago.

Goats have been used for milk, meat, wool, and skins across much of the world. Milk from goats is often turned into cheese. In 2022, there were more than 1.1 billion goats living in the world, of which 150 million were in India.

Goats feature in mythology, folklore, and religion in many parts of the world, including in the classical myth of Amalthea, in the goats that pulled the chariot of the Norse god Thor, in the Scandinavian Yule goat, and in Hinduism's goat-headed Daksha. In Christianity and Satanism, the devil is sometimes depicted as a goat.

Etymology

The Modern English word goat comes from Old English gāt "goat, she-goat", which in turn derives from Proto-Germanic *gaitaz (cf. Dutch/Frisian/Icelandic/Norwegian geit, German Geiß, and Gothic gaits), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰaidos meaning "young goat" (cf. Latin haedus "kid").[1] To refer to the male goat, Old English used bucca (cf. Dutch/Frisian bok, modern English buck) until ousted by hegote, hegoote ('he-goat') in the late 12th century.[2] Nanny goat (adult female) originated in the 18th century, and billy goat (adult male) in the 19th century.[3][4]

Castrated males are called wethers. While the words hircine and caprine both refer to anything having a goat-like quality, hircine is used most often to emphasize the distinct smell of domestic goats.[5][6]

History

Horn cores from the Neolithic village of Atlit Yam, between 6900 and 6300 BC

Goats are among the earliest animals to have been domesticated by humans.[7] A genetic analysis[8] confirms the archaeological evidence that the wild bezoar ibex, found today in the Zagros Mountains, but formerly widespread in Anatolia, is the likely original ancestor of all or most domestic goats today.[7]

Neolithic farmers began to herd wild goats primarily for easy access to milk and meat, as well as to their dung, which was used as fuel; and their bones, hair, and sinew were used for clothing, building, and tools.[9] The earliest remnants of domesticated goats dating 10,000 years Before Present are found in Ganj Dareh in Iran.[10][11] Goat remains have been found at archaeological sites in Jericho, Choga Mami,[12] Djeitun, and Çayönü, dating the domestication of goats in Western Asia at between 8,000 and 9,000 years ago.[7] DNA evidence suggests that goats were domesticated around 10,000 years ago.[8] Historically, goat hide has been used for water and wine bottles in both traveling and transporting wine for sale, and to produce parchment.[13]

Biology

Description

Each breed of goat has specific weight ranges, which vary from more than 140 kg (310 lb) for bucks of larger breeds such as the Boer, to 20 to 27 kg (44 to 60 lb) for smaller does.[14] Within each breed, different strains or bloodlines may have different recognized sizes. At the bottom of the size range are miniature breeds such as the African Pygmy, which stand 41 to 58 cm (16 to 23 in) at the shoulder as adults.[15]

Most goats naturally have two horns, their shape and size depending on the breed.[16] There have been incidents of polycerate goats (having as many as eight horns), although this is a genetic rarity. Unlike cattle, goats have not been successfully bred to be reliably polled, as the genes determining sex and those determining horns are closely linked. Breeding together two genetically polled goats results in a high number of intersex individuals among the offspring, which are typically sterile.[16] Their horns are made of living bone surrounded by keratin and other proteins, and are used for defense, dominance, territoriality,[17] and thermoregulation.[18] Both male and female goats may have beards, and many types of goat (most commonly dairy goats, dairy-cross Boers, and pygmy goats) may have wattles, one dangling from each side of the neck.[19] Goats have horizontal, slit-shaped pupils, allowing them to see well by both night and day, and giving them a wide field of vision on either side to detect predators, while avoiding being dazzled by sunlight from above.[20] Goats have no tear ducts.[21]

Goats are ruminants. They have a four-chambered stomach consisting of the rumen, the reticulum, the omasum, and the abomasum. As with other mammal ruminants, they are even-toed ungulates. The females have an udder consisting of two teats, in contrast to cattle, which have four teats.[22] An exception to this is the Boer goat, which sometimes may have up to eight teats.[23][24] Goats are diploid with two sets of 30 chromosomes.[25]

Comparison with sheep

Sheep and goats are closely related: both are in the subfamily Caprinae. However, they are separate species, so hybrids rarely occur and are always infertile. A hybrid of a ewe and a buck is called a sheep-goat hybrid. Visual differences between sheep and goats include the beard of goats and the divided upper lip of sheep. Sheep tails hang down, even when short or docked, while the short tails of goats are held upwards. Sheep breeds are often naturally polled (either in both sexes or just in the female), while naturally polled goats are rare (though many are polled artificially). Males of the two species differ in that buck goats acquire a unique and strong odor during the rut, whereas rams do not.[26]

Behavior and ecology

Goats are naturally curious. They are agile and able to climb and balance in precarious places. This makes them the only ruminant to regularly climb trees. These behaviours have made them notorious for escaping their pens by testing fences and enclosures. If any of the fencing can be overcome, goats almost inevitably escape. Goats are as intelligent as dogs by some studies.[27] When handled as a group, goats display less herding behavior than sheep. When grazing undisturbed, they spread across the field or range, rather than feed side by side as do sheep. When nursing young, goats leave their kids separated ("lying out") rather than clumped, as do sheep. They generally turn and face an intruder, and bucks are more likely to charge or butt at humans than are rams.[28] A 2016 study reports that goats try to communicate with people like domesticated animals such as dogs and horses. They look to a human for assistance when faced with a newly-modified challenge.[29][30]

Reproduction

Goats reach puberty between three and 15 months of age, depending on breed and nutritional status. Many breeders prefer to postpone breeding until the doe has reached 70% of the adult weight, but this separation is rarely possible in extensively managed, open-range herds.[31]

Bucks (uncastrated males) of Swiss and northern breeds come into rut in the fall as with the does' heat cycles. Bucks of equatorial breeds may show seasonal reduced fertility, but as with the does, are capable of breeding at all times. Rut is characterized by a decrease in appetite and obsessive interest in the does.[17] A buck in rut displays flehmen lip curling and urinates on his forelegs and face.[32] Sebaceous scent glands at the base of the horns add to the male goat's odor, which is important to make him attractive to the female. Some does will not mate with a buck which has been had the scent glands removed.[17]

Gestation length is approximately 150 days. Twins are the usual result, with single and triplet births also common. Less frequent are litters of quadruplet, quintuplet, and even sextuplet kids. Birthing, known as kidding, generally occurs uneventfully. Just before kidding, the doe will have a sunken area around the tail and hip, as well as heavy breathing. She may have a worried look, become restless and display great affection for her keeper. The mother often eats the placenta, which gives her much-needed nutrients, helps stanch her bleeding, and parallels the behavior of wild herbivores, such as deer, to reduce the lure of the birth scent for predators.[33][34]

Freshening (coming into milk production) usually occurs at kidding, although milk production is also relatively common in unbred doelings of dairy breeds.[35] Milk production varies with the breed, age, quality, and diet of the doe; dairy goats generally produce between 680 and 1,810 kg (1,500 and 4,000 lb) of milk per 305-day lactation. On average, a good quality dairy doe will give at least 3 kg (6 lb) of milk per day while she is in milk. A first-time milker may produce less, or as much as 7 kg (16 lb), or more of milk in exceptional cases. After the lactation, the doe will "dry off", typically after she has been bred. Occasionally, goats that have not been bred and are continuously milked will continue lactation beyond the typical 305 days.[36] Male lactation sometimes occurs in goats.[37]

Diet

Goats are reputed to be willing to eat almost anything. They are browsing animals, not grazers like cattle and sheep, and (coupled with their highly curious nature) will chew on and taste anything resembling plant matter to decide whether it is good to eat, including cardboard, clothing and paper.[38]

The digestive physiology of a very young kid (like the young of other ruminants) is essentially the same as that of a monogastric animal. Milk digestion begins in the abomasum, the milk having bypassed the rumen via closure of the reticuloesophageal groove during suckling. At birth, the rumen is undeveloped, but as the kid begins to consume solid feed, the rumen soon increases in size and in its capacity to absorb nutrients.[39]

The adult size of a particular goat is a product of its breed (genetic potential) and its diet while growing (nutritional potential). As with all livestock, increased protein diets (10 to 14%) and sufficient calories during the prepuberty period yield higher growth rates and larger eventual size than lower protein rates and limited calories.[40] Large-framed goats, with a greater skeletal size, reach mature weight at a later age (36 to 42 months) than small-framed goats (18 to 24 months) if both are fed to their full potential. Large-framed goats need more calories than small-framed goats for maintenance of daily functions.[41]

Diseases and life expectancy

While goats are hardy animals and often need little medical care, they are subject to a number of diseases. Among the conditions affecting goats are respiratory diseases including pneumonia, foot rot, internal parasites, pregnancy toxicosis, and feed toxicity. Goats can become infected with various viral and bacterial diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease, caprine arthritis encephalitis, caseous lymphadenitis, pinkeye, mastitis, and pseudorabies. They can transmit a number of zoonotic diseases to people, such as tuberculosis, brucellosis, Q fever, and rabies.[42]

Life expectancy for goats is between 15 and 18 years.[43] An instance of a goat reaching the age of 24 has been reported.[44] Several factors can reduce this average expectancy; problems during kidding can lower a doe's expected life span to 10 or 11, and stresses of going into rut can lower a buck's expected life span to eight to 10 years.[44]

Agriculture

Husbandry

Husbandry, or animal care and use, varies by region and culture. The minimal requirements for goats include a grazing area or the bringing of fodder to penned animals, with enough hayracks for all of them to feed simultaneously; fresh water; salt licks; space for the animals to exercise; and disposal of soiled bedding.[45]

In Africa and the Middle East, goats are typically run in flocks with sheep. This maximizes the production per acre, as goats and sheep prefer different food plants. Multiple types of goat-raising are found in Ethiopia, where four main types have been identified: pastured in annual crop systems, in perennial crop systems, with cattle, and in arid areas, under pastoral (nomadic) herding systems. In all four systems, however, goats were typically kept in extensive systems, with few purchased inputs.[46]

In Nigeria and in parts of Latin America, some goats are allowed to wander the homestead or village, while others are kept penned and fed in a 'cut-and-carry' system. This involves cutting grasses, maize or cane for feed rather than allowing the animal access to the field. The system is well suited for crops like maize that are sensitive to trampling.[47]

Worldwide population

In 2022, there were more than 1,100 million goats living in the world, led by India with 150 million and China with 132 million, and followed by Nigeria with 88 million and Pakistan with 82.5 million. Over 93% of the world's goats live in Africa and Asia.[48] The top producers of goat milk in 2022 were India (6.25 million metric tons), Bangladesh (0.91 million metric tons), and South Sudan (0.52 million metric tons).[49] As of 2015, India slaughters 41% of 124.4 million goats each year. The 0.6 million metric tonnes of goat meat make up 8% of India's annual meat production.[50] Approximately 440 million goats are slaughtered each year for meat worldwide, yielding 6.37 million metric tons of meat.[51]

Feral goats

Feral goats in a churchyard near Llandudno, Wales

Goats readily revert to the wild (become feral) if given the opportunity.[7] Feral goats have established themselves in many areas: they occur in Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, the Galapagos and many other places. When feral goats reach large populations in habitats that provide unlimited water supply and do not contain sufficient large predators or are otherwise vulnerable to goats' aggressive grazing habits, they may have serious effects, such as removing native scrub and trees. Feral goats are extremely common in Australia, with an estimated 2.6 million in the mid-1990s.[52]

Uses

Goats are used to provide milk and specialty wools, and as meat and goatskin.[53][54] Some charities provide goats to impoverished people in poor countries, in the belief that having useful things alleviates poverty better than cash. The cost of obtaining goats and then distributing them can however be high.[55]

Meat

The taste of goat kid meat is similar to that of spring lamb meat;[56] in fact, in the English-speaking islands of the Caribbean, and in South Asia, the word 'mutton' denotes both goat and sheep meat.[57][58] However, some compare the taste of goat meat to veal or venison, depending on the age and condition of the goat. Its flavor is said to be primarily linked to the presence of 4-methyloctanoic and 4-methylnonanoic acid.[59] The meat is made into dishes such as goat curry,[60] mutton satay,[61] and capra e fagioli.[62]

Milk, butter, and cheese

Goats produce about 2% of the world's total annual milk supply.[63] Dairy goats produce an average of 540 to 1,180 kg (1,200 to 2,600 lb) of milk during an average 284-day lactation.[64] The milk can contain between around 3.5% and 5% butterfat according to breed.[65] Goat milk is processed into products including cheese[66] and Dulce de leche.[67]

Mohair and cashmere wool

Most goats have soft insulating hairs nearer the skin, and long guard hairs on the surface. The soft hairs are the ones valued by the textile industry; the material goes by names such as down, cashmere and pashmina. The coarse guard hairs are of little value as they are too coarse, difficult to spin and to dye. The cashmere goat produces a commercial quantity of fine and soft cashmere wool, one of the most expensive natural fibers commercially produced. It is harvested once a year.[68] The Angora breed of goats produces long, curling, lustrous locks of mohair. The entire body of the goat is covered with mohair and there are no guard hairs. The locks constantly grow to four inches or more in length. Angora crossbreeds, such as the pygora and the nigora, have been created to produce mohair and/or cashgora on a smaller, easier-to-manage animal. The wool is shorn twice a year, with an average yield of about 4.5 kg (10 lb).[69]

Land clearing

Goats have been used by humans to clear unwanted vegetation for centuries. They have been described as "eating machines" and "biological control agents".[70][71] There has been a resurgence of this in North America since 1990, when herds were used to clear dry brush from California hillsides thought to be endangered by potential wildfires. This form of using goats to clear land is sometimes known as conservation grazing. Since then, numerous public and private agencies have hired private herds from companies such as Rent A Goat to perform similar tasks.[70][72] This may be expensive and their smell may be a nuisance.[73] This practice has become popular in the Pacific Northwest, where they are used to remove invasive species not easily removed by humans, including (thorned) blackberry vines and poison oak.[70][74][75] Chattanooga, TN and Spartanburg, SC have used goats to control kudzu, an invasive plant species prevalent in the southeastern United States.[76]

Medical training

Some countries' militaries use goats to train combat medics. In the United States, goats have become the main animal species used for this purpose after the Pentagon phased out using dogs for medical training in the 1980s.[77] While modern mannequins used in medical training are quite efficient in simulating the behavior of a human body, trainees feel that "the goat exercise provide[s] a sense of urgency that only real life trauma can provide". The practice has elicited outcry from animal-rights groups.[78]

Pets

Some people choose goats as a pet because of their ability to form close bonds with their human guardians.[79][80] Goats are social animals and usually prefer the company of other goats, but because of their herd mentality, they will follow their owner and form close bonds with them, hence their continuing popularity.[29]

Goats are similar to deer with regard to nutrition and need a wide range of food, including things like hay, grain feed or pelleted grain mix, and loose minerals.[81] Goats generally either inherit certain feeding preferences or learn them after birth.[82]

In culture

Mythology, folklore and astrology

In classical myth, Amalthea is either a nymph who fed the infant god Jupiter with goat's milk, or the goat who suckled the infant. In another legend, the god broke one of the goat's horns, endowing it with the power to fill itself with whatever its owner wanted, making it the cornucopia or horn of plenty.[83] The ancient city of Ebla in Syria contains a tomb with a throne decorated with bronze goat heads, now called "The Tomb of the Lord of the Goats".[84][85]

According to Norse mythology, the god of thunder, Thor, has a chariot that is pulled by the goats Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr At night when he sets up camp, Thor eats the meat of the goats, but takes care that all bones remain whole. Then he wraps the remains up, and in the morning, the goats always come back to life to pull the chariot. When a farmer's son who is invited to share the meal breaks one of the goats' leg bones to suck the marrow, the animal's leg remains broken in the morning, and the boy is forced to serve Thor as a servant to compensate for the damage.[86] Possibly related, the Yule goat (Julbocken) is a Scandinavian Christmas tradition. It originally denoted the goat that was slaughtered around Yule, now more often a goat figure made out of straw. It is used for the custom of going door-to-door singing carols and getting food and drinks in return, often fruit, cakes and sweets. The Gävle goat is a giant version of the yule goat, erected every year in the Swedish city of Gävle.[87][88] In Finland the tradition of NuutinpäiväSt. Knut's Day, January 13—involves young men dressed as goats (Finnish: Nuuttipukki) who visit houses. Usually the dress was an inverted fur jacket, a leather or birch bark mask, and horns. Unlike the analogues Santa Claus, Nuuttipukki was a scary character (cf. Krampus). The men dressed as Nuuttipukki wandered from house to house, came in, and typically demanded food from the household and especially leftover alcohol. In Finland the Nuuttipukki tradition is kept alive in areas of Satakunta, Southwest Finland and Ostrobothnia. Nowadays the character is usually played by children and involves a happy encounter.[89]

The goat is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac.[90] Several mythological hybrid creatures contain goat parts, including the Chimera.[91] The Capricorn constellation sign in the Western zodiac is usually depicted as a goat with a fish's tail.[92] Fauns and satyrs are mythological creatures with human bodies and goats' legs.[93] The lustful Greek god Pan similarly has the upper body of a man and the horns and lower body of a goat.[86] A goatee is a tuft of facial hair on a man's chin, named for its resemblance to a goat's beard.[94]

Religion

In Hinduism, Daksha, one of the prajapati, is sometimes depicted with the head of a male goat. A legend states that Daksha failed to invite Shiva to a sacrifice; Shiva beheaded Daksha, but when asked by Vishnu, restored Daksha to life with the head of a goat.[95] Goats are mentioned many times in the Bible. Their importance in ancient Israel is indicated by the seven different Hebrew and three Greek terms used in the Bible.[96] A goat is considered a "clean" animal by Jewish dietary laws and a kid was slaughtered for an honored guest. It was also acceptable for some kinds of sacrifices. Goat-hair curtains were used in the tent that contained the tabernacle (Exodus 25:4). Its horns can be used instead of sheep's horn to make a shofar.[97] On Yom Kippur, the festival of the Day of Atonement, two goats were chosen and lots were drawn for them. One was sacrificed and the other allowed to escape into the wilderness, symbolically carrying with it the sins of the community. From this comes the word "scapegoat".[98] In Matthew 25:31–46, Jesus said that like a shepherd he will separate the nations, rewarding the sheep, those who have shown kindness, but punishing the goats.[96] The devil is sometimes depicted, like Baphomet, as a goat, making the animal a significant symbol throughout Satanism. The inverted pentagram of Satanism is sometimes depicted with a goat's head of Baphomet, which originated from the Church of Satan.[99]

See also

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