Today, I'll show you how the seven slow sheep on the tree got into the tree.

I don't know if you remember, in my previous species calendar, I used to raise donkeys when I was a child. This time, let's switch to another animal and talk about Capra aegagrus hircus. I never had a goat when I was a child, but I had one in my neighbor's house. I always looked at it from a distance and never fed it at close range.

Looks like a love & peace house goat. Picture: Steve Ford Elliott / wikimedia

In that faraway place

Like donkeys, domestic goats have a long history of domestication. The earliest records of domestication of domestic goats were found in Iran, about 10,000 years ago.

At that time, people domesticated domestic goats, mainly using their meat, milk, fur, and even feces. Yes, it was not so easy to get fuel in ancient times, so burning a fire with sheep dung was a good choice.

Sheep herding has a long history and is still an important production activity in Egypt and other places. Picture: Hassanelsayadd / wikimedia

Modern molecular genetics studies have found that domestic goats are closely related to wild goats (C. aegagrus) living in Europe and central and western Asia, and it is almost certain that they are domesticated. Therefore, the researchers put the domestic goat under the wild goat as a subspecies of it.

Flying eaves and going to the wall social sheep

Most of the wild goats live in rocky desert areas, and even many live around the cliffs, and their daily life is like an acrobat, moving on narrow stones. The main purpose of this is to avoid the threat of predators, such as snow leopards, although they have a thick tail and strong balance, it does not seem easy to eat wild goats.

A goat among the rocks. Picture: Juan Carlos Munoz / NPL / mindenpictures

Domestic goats domesticated from wild goats are also gifted. I have never seen my neighbor's goats perform stunts, but I can often see all kinds of eye-popping behaviors of goats on the Internet-goats climbing trees, walking on vertical walls, even on dangling bridge-shaped iron plates. Goats can still walk calmly as if they are flat on the ground.

You count correctly, there are really seven sheep in the tree. Picture: Dave Watts / NPL / mindenpictures

This ability has something to do with the feet of goats, or rather with hooves. As hoof-walking animals, whether wild goats or domestic goats, only their hooves touch the ground and the contact area is very small, so as long as there is a little protruding stone, the goats can step on it. The end of the goat's hoof is very narrow, can firmly grasp the gap between the stones, coupled with living in such an environment for a long time, the balance is very good, so it is easy to challenge these tasks that are almost impossible for most animals.

Pay attention to the goats' hooves. Picture: Quartl / wikimedia

A beard doesn't just represent age.

If children were asked to describe what goats look like, most of them would say: they have long horns and long beards.

Indeed, horns and beard are two obvious characteristics of goats. Usually males have larger horns and females have smaller horns, but both females and males have beards. We sometimes describe old men with beards as wise, and this applies to goats-goats with beards are also quite smart.

Female wild goat and young goat (first from right). Picture: Andy Rouse / NPL / mindenpictures

A study of goats two years ago found that they can try to communicate with humans, just like dogs and horses. The researchers made a covered device for the goats to hold their favorite food. The researchers recorded their food intake facing and back-to-back goats.

The researchers found that when facing the goat, the goat would look at it and then walk up to them, as if asking for their help. This similar situation has been found in other domesticated pets, such as dogs. Emmm... With such strong interaction, it seems cool to take a goat out.

A researcher who pretends to be indifferent. Picture: Christian Nawroth,et al./Biology Letters (2016)

However, compared with tame sheep, goats can be a little fierce. Remember what I said earlier, I only looked at the goat raised by my neighbor from a distance, because in my young memory, I could always hear adults' warning that "goats may stand up to people".

Indeed, although goats are social animals, they are more territorial and will be driven away if similar or other animals break into the territory. Many shepherds like to take advantage of the vigilance and defense of goats to mix sheep and goats, so that sheep are much less likely to be attacked by other animals than when there are only sheep.

However, it is not possible to raise all goats, because goats do not like to be huddled together like sheep, but like to eat separately. Walking may be scattered everywhere, making it difficult for the owner to find. With the presence of sheep, the whole flock will not be too scattered, which is convenient for the owner to find.

Eating is also part of culture.

In two months, most parts of the country will be entering winter. Every cold season, especially in the northern winter, people like to sit around and eat hot Mongolian Hot Pot.

Sheep, as the head of the six animals, is mainly used for meat (six animals refer to horses, cattle, sheep, chickens, dogs and pigs, the order is still controversial). In fact, both goats and sheep can be used as meat, and each has its own advantages-sheep meat has a little more fat, so the meat is delicate and delicious; goat meat has a relatively low cholesterol content, and people who are worried about cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are more friendly.

Mongolian Hot Pot. Photo: Liu Zhuoqun / Oriental IC

Roast goat. Picture: Alpha / wikmedia

Because sheep are more round than goats, many people think that wool comes from sheep. In fact, goat hair can also be used for clothing. Cashmere sheep, for example, produce high-quality wool and are one of the most expensive pure natural wool.

In addition, wild goats will also be used in dairy industry. Picture: Suzi Eszterhas / NPL / mindenpictures

Xu Shen said in Shuo Wen Yang Bu in the Ming Dynasty: "Sheep is auspicious." Since ancient times, people have regarded sheep as an auspicious symbol, and many unearthed objects are engraved with the image of sheep. Sheep also contains a lot of meaning in Chinese culture, whether it is "lamb kneeling milk" learned in childhood, or "sheep do not party" heard in adulthood, are all derived from sheep, including goats.

Wuyang stone statue in Yuexiu Park, Guangzhou. Picture: Gzdavidwong / wikmedia

However, when the goats run into the wild, sometimes they get out of control. Because they are not picky eaters, goats will eat many plants wherever they go. If there are no natural enemies to control the number, they will affect the local environment and become invasive species.

So for now, the best destination for domestic goats is to eat and use. It's really not good, and it's not bad to be a pet.

This is the 270th article in the fourth year of the species calendar, from the author of the species calendar @ he Changhuan.

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