Contrary to the American popularity of

cow’s milk, milk and milk products

produced by Capra hircus are more highly

consumed worldwide than those from a

dairy cow.

Also, meat from a goat, lean meat called

chevon, is consumed more than beef

worldwide.

Similar to other domestic animals, Capra hircus has many different breeds. There are over 100 goat breeds and all of them differ slightly in the advantages that they offer and where they originated. Some of the common breeds are:

-Nubian (Anglo-Nubian)- an all-purpose goat from England

-Alpine- a dairy goat from the Alps

-Saanen, Toggenburg, and Oberhasli- dairy goats from different areas of

            Switzerland

-LaMancha- a dairy goat from Spain

-Myotonic- a goat from the US that has a genetic variation which causes it to “faint”

            when startled.

                For a video clip on Myotonic or Fainting Goats, click here.

-Pygmy- a goat from West Africa that is commonly used in zoos and medical

            research

-Boer- a meat goat Europe

-Angora- a goat from Asia used for its

           Mohair fiber (fur).

    For more information on goat breeds,

        see Breeds of Livestock- Goat Breeds.

Goats gain popularity through many stories and myths. Some of these include:

                                            -The Billy Goats Gruff:

                                            This children’s story tells the tale of three goat

                                            brothers who have a run in with a troll while crossing

                                            his bridge. The troll tries to eat the goats while they

                                            cross his bridge to get to the green pasture on the

                                            other side, but the oldest of the brothers demonstrates

                                            the aggressive head-butting behavior of goats and

                                            knocks him into the water.

                                                For the complete story of The Billy Goats Gruff, click here.

-The Curse of the Billy Goat:

The Curse of the Billy Goat originated in Chicago in 1945 in when a man tried to bring his pet goat into Wrigley Field to watch a Chicago Cubs game. He thought the goat would bring the team good luck. When his goat was denied entrance to the stadium on account of its smell, the man stated that the Cubs would never win another World Series until the goat could enter the stadium. The team suffered for the rest of the season and since then has not won a World Series.

    For more information on the Curse of the Billy Goat, click here.

-The Zodiac sign Capricorn:

Capricorn is the Zodiac sign for the month between December 22nd and January 19th. Capricorn is symbolized by a goat. People born within the month of Capricorn are supposed to be ambitious and hardworking.

    For more information on Capricorn, click here.

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Two Nubian goats

Photo by Just chaos

An Angora goat.

Photo by ATIS547

A carving on a building shows the symbol for Capricorn, a goat.

Photo by mag3737

Goat cheese.

Photo by bhamsandwich

Two young children enjoy the story of The Billy Goats Gruff

Photo by beccaplusmolly