Fainting Goat

When I think of a goat, I think of an animal with horns and hooves, grazing in the mountains, leading its normal life. In a way, that image is somewhat true because wild goats are generally found in mountainous habitats. That is why they have hooves so that they can "fly" from one rock to another without hurting their feet - their hooves will provide the cushioning they need.

Some scientific facts, goats make up the genus Capra and the domestic goats are classified as Capra hircus.

One of these Capra hircus shows a very distinguished behaviour. If you sneak up behind them, and then, with or without carefully chosen words, yell as loud as you can, the goats will stiffen and fall over. If it is someone else's goat, you would probably panic, but trust me, don't. If it is your own goat, you do not have to panic either because you have probably known the cause. They are not dead and they are not infected by the foot and mouth disease. What is the explanation? The answer is, they are the fainting goat. These goats, when startled will fall stiff and after a few seconds, get up and act as if nothing happened. For example, if they are in a barn by the roadside, the passing of a car will make them faint. Some of them will even faint if you make a sudden move!

There is a scientific explanation for this behaviour. It is called Myotonia - some people spell it Myatonia but that is only the way it is pronounced. This condition refers to a muscular disorder when one or more muscles contract and become rigid.

Actually, "faint" is not the correct word. The fainting goats do not actually faint. Even though their muscles are locked up, they will remain conscious throughout the process. Some of the older goats will remain standing up and do not fall easily unless the fright is more intense. If in the least likely case that they are on the police line-up and you have to identify them, you are going to have a hard time. This is because at a glance, they are like any ordinary goat on the outside especially if you have no knowledge whatsoever on goats. Basically, they average about 17 - 25 inches and said to have more meat because of the "contracting muscles" exercise which is probably the smart way to lose fat without the goats knowing anything about it. Their coats are not curly and can be in black and white or tan and can be various because of crossbreeding. The two features that distinguish them from other goats are their bulgy eyes and long erected ears.

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