Capra hircus has many interactions with

                                                                   species. As a grazing herbivore, it acts

                                                                   as the prey of many animals such as

                                                                   coyotes, dogs, mountain lions, foxes,

                                                                   eagles, large snakes, and bobcats.

                                                                   Domestic goats often gain protection

                                                                   from these predators through fences

                                                                   built around their grazing areas. Feral

                                                                   goats must depend on self-defenses,

                                                                   such as herd-life and horns, and

                                                                   adaptations, such as horizontal-slit pupils and their ability to eat quickly, for protection.

     For more information on goat adaptations, see Adaptations.

The goat also serves as a host for many

parasites. Goats have a low immune

response to many parasitic nematodes that

infect the gastrointestinal tract. Some of these

nematodes include Haemonchus contortus,

Trichostrongylous colubriformis, Teladorsagia

circumcincta, and Teladorsagia vitrinus. The

goat ingests the larvae of these nematodes

and then they reproduce within its

gastrointestinal tract. Later, the goat excretes

the eggs in the fields where it will eventually eat, and the cycle continues. The

nematodes pose a major pathological threat to goats.

Capra hircus has a mutualistic relationship with many species of bacteria (estimated near 1000 species) that live within the rumen. These bacteria ferment the goat’s food, breaking down the cellulose into molecular components that the goat can further digest and use for energy. Without these bacteria, the goat could not digest the plants that it eats efficiently. From their relationship with the goat, the bacteria receive an environment to live in and also a constant source of food. (They consume part of what the goat eats in the process of breaking it down so that the goat can use it.)

Also, goats are known to have a competitive relationship with many other organisms. Due to their ability to utilize a large range of food sources, goats can threaten other species ability to graze. On many islands, such as the Galapagos Islands off the western coast of South America, Capra hircus is considered an invasive species because it eliminates the food and habitat of native species. By overgrazing areas on these islands, goats can cause ecosystem degradation. On such islands, feral goats are often shot to help reduce the impact on the native species.

    For more information on goats as an invasive species,

        see the Global Invasive Species Database.

In addition, goats have interaction with humans.

Goats are produced domestically for their meat,

milk, wool and fur. These products bring in a large

amount of revenue for the producers. In a negative

sense, goats can pass diseases along to humans

who have associations with them. Some of these

diseases include rabies, toxoplasmosis, tuberculosis

and brucellosis.

To learn some more interesting facts about goats, click here.

To return home, click here.

The life cycle of Parasitic Nematodes within Capra hircus.

Image created by Kristin Brown

A goat being sheared to harvest its fur.

Photo by the Raz

A python constricts a goat, its prey.

Photo by mango atchar