One of the first animals ever domesticated, from the wild goat in Iran about 10,000 years ago. Kept for milk, meat, hair and skins, there were more than 1.1 billion goats in 2022.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?Yes
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?Sometimes
Mostly livestock, but some people keep goats as pets for the close bonds they form.
Do people eat it?Yes
About 440 million goats are slaughtered for meat each year worldwide.
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatFarmland
ColoursWhite, Brown, Black
SizeMedium
Weight20–27 kg (small does) to over 140 kg (Boer bucks)
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives inherds
Lives for15–18 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Farmed worldwide. Goats easily go feral, and wild herds live in Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and elsewhere.
- What it eats
- Browsers rather than grazers: goats eat leaves, shrubs and woody plants as well as grass.
Did you know
Rectangular pupils give it a very wide view to each side.
Both male and female goats can grow beards.
Often confused with
- Sheep
A goat usually has a beard and holds its short tail up. A sheep’s tail hangs down, even when short, and its upper lip is split.
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