Goats
Originally Africa, Europe; now, global
Large variety of habitats
Unknown
10-18 years
Up to 200 lbs, 40 in (species dependent)
Plants, grasses
Goats began to be domesticated for agricultural purposes more than 10,000 years ago. They are used for a variety of purposes including their milk, meat, and hair depending on the breed. Females called does often give birth to twins and can have up to 4 kids at a time. Similar to several other hooved animals, goats have a 4-chambered ruminating stomach. This works by the goat eating food, which spends time in the stomach and then is regurgitated to be chewed again. This helps to produce very little waste and allows goats to get all of the nutrition possible out of their diet. Despite popular culture goats will not eat everything, they are actually quite picky. However, goats are extremely curious and will chew on new things to help figure out what they are.
You can see several breeds of goat including Nigerian Dwarf, African Pygmy, Alpine, Toggenburg, and Nubian goats in the Zoo's Critter Encounter area.