goat
(redirected from Capra hircus)Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Wikipedia.
goat,
ruminant mammal with hollow horns and coarse hair belonging to the genus Capra of the cattle family and closely related to the sheepsheep,common name for many species of wild and domesticated ruminant mammals of the genus Ovis of the Bovidae, or cattle, family. The male is called a ram (if castrated it is a wether), the female is called a ewe, and their offspring is a lamb.
..... Click the link for more information. . True wild goats, all of Old World origin, include the Persian bezoar goat, or pasan, possibly the ancestor of the domestic varieties; the several species of ibexibex
, wild goat, genus Capra, found in rugged country on mountain ranges from central Asia to the Himalayas, S Europe, and NE Africa. Ibexes are surefooted and agile; they usually travel in small herds of about a dozen animals, feeding on a wide variety of vegetation.
..... Click the link for more information. (including the tur), and the markhormarkhor
, wild goat, Capra falconeri, found in the rugged mountains of central Asia, from S Russia to the W Himalayas. Largest of the goats, the male may stand over 40 in. (100 cm) at the shoulder and weigh over 200 lb (90 kg).
..... Click the link for more information. of Asia, with spirally twisted horns. The Rocky Mountain goat and the chamoischamois
, hollow-horned, hoofed mammal, Rupicapra rupicapra, found in the mountains of Europe and the E Mediterranean. It is about the size of a large goat and is light brown with a black tail, a black back stripe, and black markings on its face.
..... Click the link for more information. are not true goats but are closely related. Goats are hardy cliff dwellers, preferring an arid climate. They live in herds and feed on grass, weeds, shrubs, and other vegetation.
Goats were domesticated early; they are pictured in ancient Egyptian art and mentioned in the Bible. Domestic goats, varieties of Capra hircus, are found throughout the world, most abundantly in Asia. They are raised for milk, flesh, hair and wool, skins, and, in certain areas, to control scrub growth. Goat's milk is easily digested and has greater protein and fat content than that of cows, and goats have been used historically to wet-nurse human infants. The chief dairy breeds in the United States are the Toggenburg and Saanen (both of Swiss origin), as well as the Nubian, French Alpine, and Rock Alpine goats. Many dairy goats are hornless. The Cashmere goat is raised in central Asia, N India, and Iran for the wool of its downy undercoat. Angora goats, whose clipped wool is known as mohair, are more numerous than other breeds in the United States; they are raised chiefly in Texas. The Spanish, or common, goat, familiar in the Southwest, was brought to Mexico by early Spanish settlers.
Goats are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Artiodactyla, family Bovidae.
Bibliography
See D. Mackenzie, Goat Husbandry (3d ed. 1970).
Goat
(religion, spiritualism, and occult)The Goat is one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. It refers to one of the 12 earthly branches that are used in Chinese astrology, together with the 10 heavenly stems. Such a branch designates one day every 12 days: the days are named according to a sexagesimal (60) cycle, made of 10 series of 12 branches.
Kind and gentle, the Goat is emotional and even shy. He tries to be liked by everyone. Touchy, passive and lazy, not really ambitious, very imaginative, and artistic, he hates to be disturbed in his dreams. Eccentric, he likes neither routine nor discipline, and never arrives on time. He loves to stay at home. Generous and attracted by mysticism, he hates violence.
The Goat is also a popular name for the sign Capricorn. The original Mesopotamian creature associated with this sign was half goat and half fish.
—Michele Delemme
What does it mean when you dream about a goat?
The sacrificial “scapegoat,” the tenacious “old goat,” and “getting someone’s goat” all indicate the sturdiness of this animal. This symbol is also associated with sexual vitality (“lecherous old goat”), especially when depicted as a satyr, such as the god Pan in pagan mythology.