Domesticated 10,000 years ago
Goats were domesticated around 10,000 years ago in the Middle East. Remains from Ganj Dareh, in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran, are the earliest evidence of people managing goats.
Browsers more than grazers
Goats would rather reach up for leaves, shrubs and woody plants than graze close to the ground, and they are picky about it, using a split upper lip to pick out leaves and flowers. The Merck Veterinary Manual calls them both browsers and grazers.
Do goats eat tin cans?
No. Goats are curious and nibble almost everything to find out what it is, so one may lick what is left in a can and eat the label, University of Maryland Extension says, but not the can.
Rectangular pupils
A goat's pupils are horizontal rectangles, which widen its field of view to watch for predators. A UC Berkeley study found that grazing prey animals' eyes rotate as they lower their heads, keeping the pupils level with the ground.
Four stomach chambers
Goats are ruminants. The stomach has four chambers, the rumen, the reticulum, the omasum and the abomasum, and goats chew their cud.
Herds and high places
Goats are herd animals that keep close together, and a healthy goat is alert, sociable and curious. Purdue Extension says climbing is instinct for them, and they love to play king of the mountain.
Mothers know their calls
A mother goat and her young each have their own calls and recognize each other from the first week, and a Queen Mary University of London study found that mothers remember their young's calls for up to 11 to 17 months.
Names and lifespan
An intact male is a buck or billy, a female is a doe or nanny, and a castrated male is a wether. Goats live about 10 to 15 years.
The goats at Kaleidoscope Desert
The goats here, Beez, Brown Sugar, Goat Cheese, Nugget, Punk and Zoomer among them, roam the grounds with the pigs, the mini cows, the zebra and the rest of the residents.
Kaleidoscope Desert is a nonprofit art and animal sanctuary on 7.5 acres in Morongo Valley, California, 15 minutes from Joshua Tree and 20 minutes from Palm Springs, where more than 100 animals roam free among the art.
You meet them on the Sanctuary Tour, a guided walk of about 90 minutes that runs daily, with someone who knows every resident by name and their stories. The animals come over on their own terms. Every visit is for adults, 18 and over.
100% of proceeds go to the animals: their rescue, their care, and the sanctuary they live in. Kaleidoscope Desert Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.