Pygmy Goat

Overview

Get to Know Zod

Pygmy goat Zod was born right here at the Maryland Zoo in 2016! His grizzled coat color makes him easy to distinguish from the Nigerian dwarf goats. For safety due to his large horns, Zod is typically found in a yard next to the main goat corral.

Known for their short legs and stocky body, pygmy goats are typically friendly and active. When they see the pygmy goats, many people think they are pregnant. This is not the case! Goats in general tend to look very round. This shape is a result of the structure of their digestive systems and how they work. Goats have multi-chambered stomachs where their high-fiber food is digested very thoroughly to release the most nutrition possible. This complex digestive system gives a goat’s body a rounded look.

Goats communicate with each other in multiple ways. The sound they make is called a bleat. Goats can vary the pitch and volume of their bleats to convey different messages. Much like people who live in different regions, different groups of goats even have distinct vocal accents. Young goats take on the accent of their group as they grow up.

For goats, communicating is not limited to their voices. Goats can also convey information by how they move their tails. A raised tail might be a warning. A quick tail flick might show excitement. Researchers have discovered that goats even communicate emotions with facial expressions.

Conservation Status

Pygmy goats are a domestic breed, which means that they live closely alongside people. Because they are a domestic breed, they do not have an official conservation status.

Taxonomy

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Subphylum: Vertebrata
• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Therapsid
• Family: Bovidae
• Genera: Capra
• Species: aegagrus hircus

Physical Description

Pygmy goats are small and stout and have a full coat of straight, medium-length hair. Male Pygmy goats have long, full beards.

Origins

The Pygmy Goat was originally called the Cameroon Dwarf Goat and came – as the name implies – from Cameroon in West Africa. Today, this breed of goat still has a large presence in West African countries. Some Cameroon goats were exported from Africa to zoos in Sweden and Germany where they were on display as exotic animals. From there they made their way to England, Canada, and the United States.

Introduction to North America

The first record of Pygmy goats in the United States dates to 1959, although some may have come into the country earlier without documentation. In 1959, the Rhue family of California and the Catskill Game Farm in New York both received shipments of Pygmy goats from Sweden.

Uses

In the United States and elsewhere, Pygmy goats are raised mainly as companion animals. They are popular pets and exhibition animals and are widely found in petting zoos. They also produce milk and are useful as natural lawnmowers.

Current Status

Pygmy goats are a popular breed in the United States and elsewhere in the world.