The domestic goat (Capra aegagrus hircus)
The domestic goat (
Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest
Asia and
Eastern Europe.
The goat is a member of the family Bovidae and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over
300 distinct breeds of goat.[1]
Goats are one of the oldest domesticated species, and have been used for their milk, meat, hair, and skins over much of the world.[2] In
2011, there were more than 924 million live goats around the globe, according to the
UN Food and Agriculture Organization.[3]
Female goats are referred to as "does" or "nannies", intact males as "bucks", "billies", or "rams" and their offspring are "kids". Castrated males are "wethers".
Goat meat from younger animals is called "kid" or cabrito (
Spanish), and from older animals is simply known as "goat" or sometimes called chevon (
French), or in some areas "mutton" (which more often refers to adult sheep meat).
The Modern English word goat comes from
Old English gāt "she-goat, goat in general", which in turn derives from Proto-Germanic *gaitaz (cf.
Dutch/
Icelandic geit,
German Geiß, and
Gothic gaits), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰaidos meaning "young goat" (cf.
Latin haedus "kid"),[4] itself perhaps from a root meaning "jump" (assuming that
Old Church Slavonic zajęcǐ "hare", Sanskrit jihīte "he moves" are related).[citation needed] To refer to the male, Old English used bucca (giving modern buck) until ousted by hegote, hegoote in the late
12th century.
Nanny goat (females) originated in the
18th century and billy goat (for males) in the 19th.Goats are among the earliest animals domesticated by humans.[5] The most recent genetic analysis[6] confirms the archaeological evidence that the wild
Bezoar ibex of the
Zagros Mountains are the likely origin of almost all domestic goats today.[5]
Neolithic farmers began to herd wild goats for easy access to milk and meat, primarily, as well as for their dung, which was used as fuel, and their bones, hair, and sinew for clothing, building, and tools.[1] The earliest remnants of domesticated goats dating 10,000 years before present are found in
Ganj Dareh in
Iran. Goat remains have been found at archaeological sites in
Jericho,
Choga Mami[7] Djeitun and
Çayönü, dating the domestication of goats in
Western Asia at between 8000 and 9000 years ago.[5]
Studies of
DNA evidence suggests 10,000 years BP as the domestication date.[6]
Historically, goat hide has been used for water and wine bottles in both traveling and transporting wine for sale. It has also been used to produce parchment.Goats are considered small livestock animals, compared to bigger animals such as cattle, camels and horses, but larger than microlivestock such as poultry, rabbits, cavies, and bees. Each recognized breed of goats has specific weight ranges, which vary from over
140 kg (300 lb) for bucks of larger breeds such as the
Boer, to 20 to 27 kg (45 to 60 lb) for smaller goat does.[8]
Within each breed, different strains or bloodlines may have different recognized sizes. At the bottom of the size range are miniature breeds such as the
African Pygmy, which stand 41 to 58 cm (16 to 23 in) at the shoulder as adults
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