Goat

Goats are lively, curious farm animals with little beards, bright eyes, and neat hooves that help them climb. People keep goats almost everywhere in the world, from grassy farms to steep, rocky hills.

Long ago, goats came from a wild mountain animal called the bezoar ibex, which still lives in the hills of western Asia. Goats were one of the very first animals people ever kept, because they are hardy, friendly, and happy to follow a person to fresh food.

Goats are wonderful climbers. They are nimble and love to balance in tricky places, and they are the only cud-chewing farm animals that will climb right up into a tree to reach the leaves. This is also why goats are so good at hopping over fences and finding their way out of a pen.

Goats are herbivores, but they eat a little differently from cows and sheep. Instead of only nibbling grass, they are browsers, reaching up for leaves, twigs, and shrubs. They are famously curious and like to taste new things to find out whether they are good to eat.

A baby goat is called a kid, its mother is a doe or nanny, and its father is a buck or billy. Kids can hop, skip, and bounce about on their wobbly legs soon after they are born, and they love to play by leaping onto rocks and each other.

Goats are clever animals, about as smart as a pet dog. They can solve little puzzles, remember their friends, and even look up at a person for help when they are stuck. People give them fields and hills to roam, and goats give us milk in return.