Goat Facts
Well Known and Little Known Goat Facts
Let's begin with a couple of little known goat facts. Did you know that goats are members of the cattle family? It's true, and the same can be said for sheep and antelope. Did you know that goats, unlike any other animal, have rectangular pupils in their eyes? That's true as well. Two facts you can possibly put to use in a trivia game at a party.
Most of the goat facts you'll read about here are on a more serious note, designed to give you useful information about a very useful animal. Goats are herd animals, and are present throughout all parts of the inhabited world. There are estimated to be just under 500 million goats in the world, an exact count being impractical to achieve, and probably irrelevant. Of these 500 million, about 3 million live in the United States. In the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent, and Asia, goats replace cows as the main provider of milk, meat, and cheese. In fact on a world wide basis, goat milk is consumed in greater quantities than is cow's milk.
The male goat is called either a Buck or a Billy, the female, a Doe or Nanny, while the young goat is referred to as a Kid. Goats have a life span similar to that of most dogs, 7 to 10 years, and occasionally a few years longer. The goat provides us with dairy products and meat, and is also the source of cashmere. Different breeds account for a variation in quality of the cashmere they can provide.
One of the more enduring myths about goats is that they will eat almost anything within reach. Who hasn't seen a cartoon of a goat eating a tin can? In truth, goats are very selective eaters, and will not touch soiled food. They will mouth things, to determine whether they are worth eating, and that is probably where the myth got started. So tin cans are out, the tin can labels are as well, although a goat may mouth a label just to check to see if it’s on their list of preferred foods.
Other goat facts worth knowing: Goat milk is very healthy, believed by many to be healthier than the milk from the cow. People who have an allergic reaction to cow's milk often find goat milk to be an excellent replacement. Goat milk tends to be more digestible, and is an excellent source of fats and protein needed by growing children.
And, should you consider owning a goat for its milk and cheese, note that goats also make great pets. They are curious, friendly, sociable, and very intelligent animals. They are quite athletic, able to run, jump over and crawl under, obstacles, open gates and stand on their back legs to reach things that perhaps they should not have. And they do grow beards, mostly the males, but occasionally the females as well.