goat
Ruminant mammal (it chews the cud), closely related to sheep. Both male and female goats have horns and beards. They are sure-footed animals, and feed on shoots and leaves more than on grass. (Genus Capra, family Bovidae.)
Domestic varieties are descended from the scimitar-horned wild goat (C. aegagrus) and have been kept for over 9,000 years in southern Europe and Asia. They are kept for milk or for mohair (angora and cashmere goats). Wild species include the ibex (C. ibex) of the Alps and markhor (C. falconeri) of the Himalayas, 1 m/3 ft high and with long twisted horns. The Rocky Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) is a ‘goat antelope’ and is not closely related to true goats.
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