Goat horns are narrow and straight sheep horns curl around in loops on the side of their heads. Most goats have horns many breeds of sheep are hornless (polled).A sheep's woolly coat will continue growing unless it is sheared. Goats' coats do not require shearing or combing (but Angora goats are sheared to provide a fiber called mohair).Goats are independent and naturally curious sheep prefer to flock together and are more aloof.A goat's tail usually points up (unless it is frightened or sick) a sheep's tail hangs down and is often shortened (docked).Goats have 60 chromosomes sheep have 54.According to Susan Schoenian, a sheep and goat specialist at the University of Maryland, on the website Sheep101: Goats and sheep are different species, and there are several physical and behavioral differences. For example, the Capra hircus aegagrus is considered vulnerable because of an estimated population decline of around 30 percent over the past three generations.Ī cousin of the goat, Capra caucasica, or West Caucasian tur, a mountain-dwelling goat-antelope found only in the Caucasus mountains, is considered endangered by the IUCN because of an estimated population decline of more than 50 percent over the past three generations. Capra hircus cretica (Cretan goat, kri-kri, agrimi, or Cretan ibex), found in eastern MediterraneanĪccording to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), most wild goats are considered vulnerable, threatened or endangered.Capra hircus chialtanensis (Chiltan goat), found in west-central Pakistan.Capra hircus aegagrus (bezoars, or wild goat), found in western Asia.Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Bilateria Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Superclass: Tetrapoda Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Infraclass: Eutheria Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Subfamily: Caprinae Genera & species: Here is the taxonomy of goats, according to ITIS: Wild goats typically have a life span of 9 to 12 years. At three to four months the kids are weaned, and at 30 months they are ready to have kids of their own. Within minutes of being born, kids are up and walking around. Female goats, also called nannies or does, give birth to one or two offspring in the spring after a gestation period of 150 to 180 days. (Image credit: © Brian Squibb) OffspringĪ male goat is called a buck or a billy, unless it is castrated, and then it is called a wether. It takes 11 to 15 hours for food to pass through a goat's digestive system.Ī baby goat nuzzles its mama. The rumen can hold 4 to 6 gallons (15 to 23 liters) the reticulum can hold up to 0.26 to 0.5 gallons (0.98 to 1.9 liters) the omasum can hold up to 0.26 gallons (0.98 liters) and the abomasum can hold up to 1 gallon (3.8 liters). Goats are ruminants, and like cattle, they have four stomach compartments. This causes the rotary movement that is seen when a goat (or a cow) is chewing. The upper jaw is wider than the lower jaw, so they can only use one side of their mouths to grind the food. Goats grab food with their lips and bring it into their mouths, according to the Smithsonian. Many domestic goats will also eat trash, house plants or any other items they find lying around. Their favorite food is grass, though mountain goats also eat mosses and plants. Goats are herbivores, which means they eat only vegetation. Mountain goats will dig 1 to 1 inch (25 to 50 mm) depressions in the ground to sleep, rest and dust bathe in. Goats typically spend their days grazing on grasses within their home range, which is an area of about 14 square miles (23 square kilometers), according to the ADW. Many times, males only live with a few other males or by themselves, year-round. In herds, there is a dominant female throughout the year, until mating season. Mountain goats are most social during the winter and tend to go solo in the summer. Goats are very social creatures and live in groups called herds, which may contain as many as 20 goats in the wild, according to National Geographic (opens in new tab). The main habitat requirements for a domestic goat are grass to eat and a clean, ventilated shelter, according to the ADW. Domestic goats are raised all over the world in almost every type of terrestrial biomes.
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