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goat - newquay zoo

Status: Vulnerable

Range: USA, Canada, S. America, S. Asia, UK, Australia.

Habitat: Open grasslands

Diet: grasses & vegetation

 

Creature Feature: Males usually weigh between 45 and 55 kilos and females weigh between 25 and 35 kilos. Colouration of the fur varies from black and brown to multicoloured. The males have beards and generally have a strong smell during breeding seasons.

Goats tend to move in groups that can become large herds as the family numbers increase. The home range of each group varies in size from 100 metres to 2 kilometres in width. The males do not defend these ranges and often wander more widely than females. Goats prefer open areas where they can rest and sun themselves. At night or in bad weather they will seek shelter under rocky outcrops.

Goats were originally native to Asia but are now distributed worldwide since being introduced to various islands for their milk. They are sometimes referred to as "the most single destructive herbivore" due to their ability to digest poorer quality plants (including a lot of native plant species to some islands) than most herbivores. For this reason they have gained a reputation of being the "last one standing" in severely over grazed environments.

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Uploaded on January 24, 2010
Taken on January 25, 2010