Goat

According to Oxford dictionary, goat means "A hardy domesticated ruminant mammal that has backward-curving horns and (in the male) a beard. It is kept for its milk and meat, and noted for its lively behaviour."

goat

What is ruminant mammal ?

 These animals all have a digestive system that is uniquely different from our own.
 Ruminants are mammals that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through bacterial actions.
 Without this stomach chamber, cows and other ruminants would be much less efficient at turning grass into milk, meat and wool. A cow's rumen has a capacity of up to 95 litres and contains billions of bacteria and other microbes. These microbes produce the enzymes that digest cellulose into sugars and fatty acids for their hosts to use. A less desirable by-product is the potent greenhouse gas, methane: a single cow can produce up to 280 litres of methane a day.

ruminants stomach

 *Reference : http://bit.ly/1Igox7w
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Some goat facts :


Goats were the first animals domesticated by man in 10,000 B.C
There are over 210 breeds of goats in the world and there are approximately 450 million goats around the world. Most goats can be found in Asia and the Mid-East.
Goats were the first animals to be used for milk by humans.
 *Reference : http://bit.ly/1VU6s8J

Goat meat is the most widely consumed meat in the world, mainly due to the few, if any, religious taboos limiting goat meat consumption.

On a worldwide basis, more people drink the milk of goats than any other single animal.

The largest producers of goat meat are the largest consumers, but not the largest importers or exporters. These countries are China, India and Pakistan.

Australia is a relatively small producer of goatmeat but is the world’s largest exporter of goatmeat. Australian goat slaughter in 2011-12 was around 1.63 million head (ABS).

The two largest markets for Australian goat meat exports are the US and Taiwan (DAFF 2011-12). Demand in the US is generated from the wide diversity of traditional goat eating cultures represented within the US population i.e. the Hispanics are the largest minority group in the US.
  *Reference : http://bit.ly/1Igr6GF

Will you believe that goat discovered coffee ?!
Goats are very intelligent and curious animals. Their inquisitive nature is exemplified in their constant desire to explore and investigate anything unfamiliar which they come across.
Reference : http://bit.ly/1IgpFrY

Goats are social animals, however unlike sheep, who they are closely related to, they are not flock-orientated.

Like sheep, a goat’s eye is rectangular rather than round. They have excellent night vision and will often browse during the night.

Goats have excellent coordination. They have great balance and are thus able to survive in precarious areas such as steep mountains. They can even climb trees and some species can jump over 5 feet high. Reference : http://bit.ly/1IgpFrY

Next blog will tackles goat breeds...