Dairy goat

Description

Most goats naturally have two horns, their shape and size depending on the breed. There have been incidents of polycerate goats (having as many as eight horns), although this is a genetic rarity. Unlike cattle, goats have not been successfully bred to be reliably polled, as the genes determining sex and those determining horns are closely linked. Breeding together two genetically polled goats results in a high number of intersex individuals among the offspring, which are typically sterile. Their horns are made of living bone surrounded by keratin and other proteins, and are used for defense, dominance, territoriality, and thermoregulation. Both male and female goats may have beards, and many types of goat (most commonly dairy goats, dairy-cross Boers, and pygmy goats) may have wattles, one dangling from each side of the neck. Goats have horizontal, slit-shaped pupils, allowing them to see well in both well-lit and dark conditions, as well as giving them a wide field of vision on either side to detect predators while avoiding being dazzled by sunlight from above. Goats have no tear ducts.