Goat (Capra hircus): Facts & Species Wiki

Field
notes

A gut that runs nonstop

A goat’s digestive system works nonstop throughout its adult life. Some animals alternate between periods of stress and inactivity in their digestive organs. Goats must produce digestive juices and enzymes 24 hours a day. They have a four-compartment stomach, and their intestinal canal is about 100 feet (30.5 meters) long. Feed takes 11 to 15 hours to pass through the whole digestive system.

The mouth is odd too. A goat’s upper jaw does not develop milk teeth. It has bony plates that meet the lower teeth instead. Because the upper jaw is wider than the lower, a goat can only use one side of its mouth at a time to grind food.

Rectangular pupils A goat’s eye has a rectangular pupil. It is believed that goats have excellent night vision.

Grass, scrub and gate latches

Goats eat grasses and shrubs. Unlike sheep and cattle, they can also survive on bushes, trees, desert scrub and aromatic herbs. Most goats will also stand on their back legs to reach tree branches and shrubs. Grazing goats have been observed refusing to graze forage that has been trampled and soiled.

They are also intelligent and quick to learn good and bad habits, such as opening gate latches.

Size by breed

Size depends on the breed. Typical adults weigh 45 kg. Mature female dwarf goats can weigh as little as 20 pounds (9.1 kg) and stand 18 inches (45.7 cm) tall. Indian Jamnapari, Swiss Saanen and Alpine goats go up to 250 pounds (113.5 kg) and 42 inches (106.7 cm) tall.

For lifespan, the record for a goat in captivity belongs to one female who lived 20.8 years. It is possible that goats may live for longer, but they are culled before reaching their maximum lifespan, due to issues in the nervous, digestive and reproductive systems, and lameness.

From the Zagros to everywhere

Goats descend primarily from the bezoar goat, Capra aegagrus. The Zagros Mountains of western Iran provide some of the earliest archaeological evidence of goat management and husbandry, by circa 8200 cal BC. Humans have since spread goats all over the world.

Feral groups, meaning goats living wild, are found usually in rugged mountain country, rocky crags and alpine meadows. There are some on Hawaii and on other islands. If given a chance, goats can easily revert to feral or wild condition.

Published September 29, 2026

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Intel
& FAQ

01What do a goat's eyes look like?

Eye color varies, but yellow and brown are the most common, and the pupils are rectangular. Goats will often browse at night.

Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

02How many kids does a goat have at a time, and how long is the pregnancy?

Twins are common in goats, and otherwise 1 or 3 offspring is the typical brood size. Gestation differs between breeds but runs between 145 and 152 days. The young are born precocious and able to walk and follow the mother just hours after birth.

Source: Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

03How do scientists know early goats were being managed?

Ancient genomes from two Zagros Mountains sites in western Iran, Ganj Dareh and Tepe Abdul Hosein, show managed goats were genetically distinct from wild goats. The team says goats were being managed as genetically domestic animals by circa 8200 cal BC. Detectable morphological change, a change in form, appeared about 1,000 years later. The bone remains from these sites had wild morphology.

Source: Daly et al. 2021

Guess
first

How big is a Goat, really? Slide, lock in, and see what the sources say. Every answer is a figure from this page, quoted from where it came from.

Weight: How heavy is an adult??
The sources say 45 kg.
Source ↓
Length: How long is an adult, head to tail??
The sources say 45.7 cm.
Source ↓
Lifespan: How long does one live??
The sources say 21 years.
Source ↓