Page 64 - World of Animals - Issue #28 Magazine

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Fantastic Some goats faint when they’re scared

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When fainting goats feel threatened, they will collapse to the ground with
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Goats hereditary condition also found in humans and other mammals, which
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stiffened legs. This amusing reaction is caused by myotonia congenita, a
causes the chemical message to get ready for danger to fire over and over

again, meaning their body tenses up for too long. Some goats are bred to
have myotonia congenita, as the fainting makes them easier to control.
We’ve all come across
goats, whether domestic
or wild, but these familiar
friends have hidden depths...

Goats gave us coffee
Goats could be responsible for discovering the effects of one of humanity’s

favourite substances – coffee. The legend of Kaldi, a goat herder in ancient

Mountain goats cling Ethiopia, tells that his herd of goats would get so excited aer eating the

to the sides of cliffs beans from the coffee plants growing throughout the Ethiopian highlands
with their cloven that they couldn’t sleep. Kaldi took the beans to the local monastery, where
an abbot made a drink with them, creating what we now know as coffee.

hooves, made of
keratin. They also have
a special traction pad
extending beyond the
hoof for extra grip. There are legendary goats Goats eat quickly
Goats are social animals Goats have appeared in mythology throughout Goats are ruminants, meaning
history. Perhaps the most famous is the Capricorn
and live in herds of goat of the zodiac, whose sure-footed nature and they have four-chambered
around 20. For most of agility are defining traits. Pan, the Greek god of nature, stomachs and two-toed feet.

the year, one female is had goat horns and feet, as did satyrs, characters that Ruminants eat quickly, store

dominant in the herd, appeared throughout Greek art and theatre. food in the first chamber of
until mating season, their stomach, then regurgitate
when a male takes over. it and chew it again as cud.
Cattle, sheep and camels are all
According to reports ruminant mammals too.
from National
Geographic, mountain
goats have been Goats, like many
known to leap up to
3.5 metres (12 feet) in other ungulates,
the air. have rectangular
Nigerian dwarf goats pupils in their eyes
are one of the smallest that give them
breeds in the world.
They grow to be 50 340-degree vision,
centimetres (1.6 feet) tall up to twice the
and weigh around 34
kilograms (75 pounds). range of humans
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