Although dogs were the earliest domesticated mammals, another critter was incorporated into helping Neolithic humans survive about 10,000 years ago — the goat.
Early Iranian man discovered how well herd animals attach to us. Goats became the walking Walmart of eastern Asia and northern Africa. They offered milk, meat, hides, fur, bones, and skins that could be tooled for water and wine pouches that traveled well.
Facts about Goats
Think you want a pet goat?
Today, there are more than 200 species of domestic goats. Formally, a baby is called a kid, older ones are doelings or bucklings, and adults are does and bucks (the slang for females is a nanny and for males is a billy). They are intelligent, social herd animals, so for proper mental health, it’s highly recommended to have at least two of them. They will need hooves trimmed, coats brushed, fresh food and water, and a safe, solid enclosure. Goats also need plenty of room, will eat everything in sight, can climb surprisingly high fences, and are LOUD.
The volume problem is how goats communicate, and they are known for bleating — which is a normal-decibel speech —and for out-and-out screams so everyone knows where everyone else is at the time. They love grains such as corn, barley, oats, and soy but will nibble on your pants or eat your hat if you’re not careful.
Goats are not only verbal but are also affectionate critters. If they like you, their ears relax, their facial muscles smooth out, their lips droop, and they lean on you to rub their heads against your body. Head rubbing and gentle butting are signs of trust from a friendly goat as well as “goat talk” that you should be scratching them there.
When goats like each other, as in the mating game, their behavior becomes more overt, and it’s easy to figure out why telling people they smell like goats is insulting. Bucks start to rut in the fall, and to stay fragrant enough to lure females, they manage to constantly urinate on their own faces and beards during the season. Apparently this crusty coating is swoonworthy for the goat gal but might be a deal breaker for a future pet owner (i.e., pick a couple of does, right?).
Although it has been recorded that a goat lived to the ancient age of 24 years, 15 is considered a solid old age.
Myths and Myotonia
Many people might not realize it, but goats are part of mythologies. In Hinduism, Daksha is a divine being with the head of a goat, and Pan was the Greco-Roman forest god who sported horns and the lower body of a goat. His skill on the pipes has been considered a form of bleating.
Another Grecian myth was about Amalthea. Various retellings describe her as a nymph who fed the infant Zeus her goat’s milk, but other stories claim she was the actual goat. Regardless, the tale continues, and the goat’s horn is snapped off by a tree. When retrieved, it was filled with fruit that was everlasting — and the cornucopia, or horn of plenty, was born.
And goats are popular on Facebook, especially those of the fainting variety. Although they exist across the pond, the most noteworthy population is the Tennessee fainting goat, or myotonic goat, which was brought to the United States in the 1880s. Truth be told, those goats don’t actually faint; they have a disorder in the chloride channel exchange that causes muscles to delay relaxation. When they’re excited — by fear or delight — their bodies make an involuntary response that triggers everything to lock up for a bit. As newborns, this doesn’t happen. Apparently, they age into it, and it’s a situation of the more it happens, the more it happens — their bodies become trained to do it. Science claims it isn’t painful, and they are conscious during the seizures.
Goats from this breed are often chosen for a herd since they won’t — or can’t — jump more than a foot off the ground (unlike all other goats), so staying inside fences isn’t much of a problem.
Defying Gravity
Ah, but let’s talk about goats that DO jump!
Mountain goats here in the United States are a species of antelope, just sturdier and shaggier, and both sexes have sharp, short horns. These goats don’t butt when provoked, they stab, and they killed a lone hiker years ago when he was gored above the knee and bled out.
It’s wise to stay on the lookout for wild goats, especially in breeding or birthing seasons (fall and spring), when males are competitive and new mothers are protective. If you cross a wild goat’s trail, be loud and look as big as possible, or better, travel with a group in such territory. The buck might stare, then lower his head to display horns prior to an attack. Or he might rise on his back legs or rub nearby trees with his horns. A truly red flag is the behavior called “pitting,” when the goat sits and paws up the ground with a front hoof to throw dirt on the back half to look like “dirty trousers.”
While camping, be aware that wild goats love salt, meaning YOUR salt. They have been observed licking pole handles or backpack straps or even stalking campers who leave the site to urinate because goats are drawn to the salts in urine (I can’t help but think there’s a joke in there somewhere, but I will restrain myself).
Knives on the forehead aren’t the only phenomenon mountain goats own; their hindquarters are pretty amazing too. Powerful haunches and strong legs help in climbing, but their feet are the focus. Two-toed hooves have superflexible rubbery pads cased by a tough outer lining. The pads spread and grip the slimiest of ledges — just a few centimeters wide — so the animal looks to be suspended against a mountainside.
Then the goat springs 12 feet away and lands on another nonexistent ridge, defying gravity like no other creature. Truly the Greatest of All Time….
Or maybe just a GOAT.
