GOAT encyclopedia topics

goat, ruminant mammal with hollow horns and coarse hair belonging to the genus Capra of the cattle family and closely related to the sheep. True wild goats, all of Old World origin, include the Persian bezoar goat, or pasan, possibly the ancestor of the domestic varieties; the several species of ibex (including the tur), and the markhor of Asia, with spirally twisted horns. The Rocky Mountain goat and the chamois are not true goats but are closely related. Goats are hardy cliff dwellers, preferring an arid climate. They live in herds and feed on grass, weeds, shrubs, and other vegetation. Goats were early domesticated; they are pictured in ancient Egyptian art and mentioned in the Bible. Domestic goats, varieties of Capra hircus, are found throughout the world, most abundantly in Asia. They are raised for milk, flesh, hair and wool, skins, and, in certain areas, to control scrub growth. Goat's milk is easily digested and has greater protein and fat content than that of cows. The chief dairy breeds in the United States are the Toggenburg and Saanen (both of Swiss origin), as well as the Nubian, French Alpine, and Rock Alpine goats. Many dairy goats are hornless. The Cashmere goat is raised in central Asia, N India, and Iran for the wool of its downy undercoat. Angora goats, whose clipped wool is known as mohair, are more numerous than other breeds in the United States; they are raised chiefly in Texas. The Spanish, or common, goat, familiar in the Southwest, was brought to Mexico by early Spanish settlers. Goats are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Artiodactyla, family Bovidae.

See D. Mackenzie, Goat Husbandry (3d ed. 1970).

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Toggenburg goat

Toggenburg goat: see goat.

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Rocky Mountain goat

Rocky Mountain goat, hoofed ruminant mammal, Oreamnos americanus, found in the high mountains of S Alaska, W Canada, and the extreme NW United States. Although it is not a true goat it belongs to the same family (cattle family) and is goatlike in appearance, with a bearded chin, long face, and sharp, black horns 9 to 12 in. (22-30 cm) long, curved slightly backward. The head is large and the neck short. The coat is long, thick, and pure white. The male is about 3 ft (90 cm) high at the massively humped shoulder and weighs up to 200 lb (90 kg). Rocky Mountain goats live in small herds on steep mountain sides and cliffs, feeding on the stunted vegetation above the timberline. They are extremely sure-footed and nimbly traverse precipitous slopes and ledges. Related to the Old World chamois, the Rocky Mountain goat is classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Artiodactyla, family Bovidae.

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Licensed from Columbia University Press

Goat, The

Goat, The, English name for Capricornus, a constellation.

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Goat Island

Goat Island. 1 Former name of Yerba Buena Island, San Fransisco Bay, Calif. 2 Island, W N.Y., in the Niagara River, dividing Niagara Falls into the American and the Canadian falls.

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Licensed from Columbia University Press

mountain goat

or Rocky Mountain goat

Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus)

Ruminant (bovid species Oreamnos americanus) of the Yukon to the northern Rockies that is more closely related to antelopes than to goats. Stocky, with a hump at the withers, mountain goats stand about 40 in. (1 m) at the shoulder. Both sexes bear short, hollow, slightly backward-curving, black horns. The shaggy, coarse white hair covers a thick, woolly underfur, and a beard frames the slender muzzle. The hooves are black. Mountain goats are agile climbers and can leap more than 12 ft (3.5 m). They live in small bands above the timberline, eating moss, lichen, and scrub foliage.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

goat

Any hollow-horned ruminant in the bovid genus Capra. Goats have a lighter build and straighter hair than sheep; their horns arch backward; and the tail is short. Males usually have a beard. Wild goats include the ibex and markhor. Domesticated goats are descended from the pasang, which is probably native to Asia. In China, Great Britain, Europe, and North America, the domestic goat is primarily a milk producer; much of the milk is used to make cheese. Some breeds, notably the Angora and cashmere, are raised for their wool; young goats are the source of kid leather.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

Capricorn

or Capricornus

(Latin: “Goat horn”) In astronomy, the constellation lying between Aquarius and Sagittarius; in astrology, the tenth sign of the zodiac, governing approximately the period December 22–January 19. It is represented as a goat with what appears to be a fishtail. One explanation for this odd depiction is that it derives from the Greek myth of Pan. To avoid the monster Typhon, Pan jumped into the water just as he was changing into animal shape. The half of his body above water became a goat, while the submerged half took the shape of a fish. Another relates the form to the Mesopotamian deity Enki (see Ea).

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.