---
title: "What the sources say about the Goat | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "50 claims from the Goat profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/goat-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/goat/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Goat (*Capra hircus*)

> 50 claims from the Goat profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Goat](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/goat/)

## Capra hircus (domestic goat). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Capra_hircus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A domesticated ruminant | Domestic goats are ruminants and eat grasses and shrubs. |
| Raised in almost all habitats worldwide | Capra hircus is a domesticated animal and has been raised in almost all habitats. |
| feral groups are usually found in rugged mountain country, rocky crags and alpine meadows | Feral groups are found usually in rugged mountain country, rocky crags, and alpine meadows. |
| Grasses and shrubs | Domestic goats are ruminants and eat grasses and shrubs. |
| Not Evaluated | Capra hircus is a domesticated animal and has been raised in almost all habitats. (note: stats.conservationStatus. The page says the goat is a domesticated animal, so no Red List category applies. GBIF's Capra hircus Linnaeus, 1758 (usage key 2441056, ACCEPTED) carries no threat status (threatStatuses empty), checked 2026-09-29 via api.gbif.org species/search and species/match; not cited. The wild ancestor Capra aegagrus has its own assessment, which is not the goat's. Precedent domestic-cat, domestic-dog: no IUCN reference.) |
| A goat's upper jaw does not develop milk teeth | The upper jaw does not develop milk teeth |
| It has bony plates that meet the lower teeth instead | rather it has bony plates to articulate with the lower teeth |
| Goats eat grasses and shrubs | Domestic goats are ruminants and eat grasses and shrubs. |
| Size depends on the breed. | weight can vary between 9 and 113 kg and height can vary between 26 and 107 cm in different breeds |
| Typical adults weigh 45 kg | Typically, adults weigh 45 kg |
| Humans have since spread goats all over the world | Since the domestication of this species, goats have been spread all over the world by humans. |
| There are some on Hawaii and on other islands. | There are some feral groups on Hawaii and on other islands. |
| Feral groups, meaning goats living wild, are found usually in rugged mountain country, rocky crags and alpine meadows | Feral groups are found usually in rugged mountain country, rocky crags, and alpine meadows. |
| Twins are common in goats, and otherwise 1 or 3 offspring is the typical brood size. | Twins are extremely common to this species, otherwise 1 or 3 offspring is the typical brood size. |
| Gestation differs between breeds but runs between 145 and 152 days. | Gestation differs between breeds, but is between 145 and 152 days. |
| The young are born precocious and able to walk and follow the mother just hours after birth. | The young are born precocious and able to walk and follow the mother just hours after birth. |

## Goat. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/goat

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| rectangular pupils | A goat's eye has a rectangular pupil. |
| a digestive system that works nonstop | A goat's digestive system works nonstop throughout its adult life |
| plus bushes, trees, desert scrub and aromatic herbs | Unlike sheep and cattle, goats can also survive on bushes, trees, desert scrub and aromatic herbs. |
| A digestive system that works nonstop | A goat's digestive system works nonstop throughout its adult life |
| with a four-compartment stomach | goats have a four-compartment stomach |
| an intestinal canal about 30.5 meters long | A goat’s intestinal canal is about 100 feet (30.5 meters) long |
| A goat's digestive system works nonstop throughout its adult life | A goat's digestive system works nonstop throughout its adult life |
| Some animals alternate between periods of stress and inactivity in their digestive organs | While some animals have digestive organs and secretions that alternate between periods of stress and inactivity |
| Goats must produce digestive juices and enzymes 24 hours a day | goats must continually produce digestive juices and enzymes 24 hours a day |
| They have a four-compartment stomach | goats have a four-compartment stomach |
| their intestinal canal is about 100 feet (30.5 meters) long | A goat’s intestinal canal is about 100 feet (30.5 meters) long |
| Feed takes 11 to 15 hours to pass through the whole digestive system | It takes 11 to 15 hours for feed to pass through a goat’s digestive system. |
| 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 | Because a goat’s upper jaw is wider than its lower jaw, it can only use one side of its mouth at a time to grind food. |
| A goat's eye has a rectangular pupil. It is believed that goats have excellent night vision. | A goat's eye has a rectangular pupil. It is believed that goats have excellent night vision. |
| Unlike sheep and cattle, they can also survive on bushes, trees, desert scrub and aromatic herbs | Unlike sheep and cattle, goats 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 | 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 | Grazing goats have also been observed selecting grass over clover, preferring browsing to grazing, grazing along fence lines before the center of a pasture, and 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 | They are intelligent and quick to learn good and bad habits, such as opening gate latches. |
| Mature female dwarf goats can weigh as little as 20 pounds (9.1 kg) and stand 18 inches (45.7 cm) tall | Goats vary from as little as 20 pounds (9.1 kg) in weight and 18 inches (45.7 cm) tall in the mature female dwarf goat |
| Indian Jamnapari, Swiss Saanen and Alpine goats go up to 250 pounds (113.5 kg) and 42 inches (106.7 cm) tall | to 250 pounds (113.5 kg) and 42 inches (106.7 cm) in height for Indian Jamnapari, Swiss Saanen, and Alpine |
| Goats descend primarily from the bezoar goat, Capra aegagrus | Domestic goats are primarily descended from the Bezoar goat, Capra aegagrus |
| If given a chance, goats can easily revert to feral or wild condition | If given a chance, goats can easily revert to feral or wild condition. |
| Eye color varies, but yellow and brown are the most common, and the pupils are rectangular. | Goats’ eyes have rectangular pupils. Eye color varies, but yellow and brown are the most common. |
| Goats will often browse at night. | Goats will often browse at night |
| A goat's digestive system works nonstop throughout its adult life | A goat's digestive system works nonstop throughout its adult life (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body claim) |
| feed takes 11 to 15 hours to pass through | It takes 11 to 15 hours for feed to pass through a goat’s digestive system. (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body claim) |

## AnAge entry for Capra hircus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Capra_hircus

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| the record for a goat in captivity belongs to one female who lived 20.8 years | Record longevity 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. | It is possible that these animals 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 |

## Daly et al. (2021). Herded and hunted goat genomes from the dawn of domestication in the Zagros Mountains. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2100901118

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The Zagros Mountains of western Iran provide some of the earliest archaeological evidence of goat | period in the Zagros Mountains, western Iran, provides some of the earliest archaeological evidence of goat |
| management and husbandry, by circa 8200 cal BC | management and husbandry by circa 8200 cal BC |
| 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. | we analyzed 14 novel nuclear genomes (mean coverage 1.13X) and 32 mitochondrial (mtDNA) genomes (mean coverage 143X) from two such sites, Ganj Dareh and Tepe Abdul Hosein. These genomes show two distinct clusters: those with domestic affinity and a minority group with stronger wild affinity, indicating that managed goats were genetically distinct from wild goats at this early horizon. |
| The team says goats were being managed as genetically domestic animals by circa 8200 cal BC. | support management of genetically domestic goat by circa 8200 cal BC |
| Detectable morphological change, a change in form, appeared about 1,000 years later. | with detectable morphological change appearing ∼1,000 y later |
| The bone remains from these sites had wild morphology. | the wild morphology of bone remains illustrates domestication as an extended process |