There Is Much To Want To Wonder All About Fainting Goats

In many cases, you can learn all about fainting goats simply by visiting someone who owns one

. They are unique goats, that look like they faint for a period of ten to twenty seconds when the right stimulation is present. Many consider them to be excellent pets and find them to be quite entertaining.

A fainting goat will appear to faint much more often when he is young. Over time, he learns to keep himself upright, often propping his body up against an object that allows him to maintain his balance. He will also attempt to continue moving despite his body's need to fall over. This is all an automatic response to fearful stimulus. His muscles will literally freeze for a period of about 10 seconds when faced with perceived danger.

Most humans find the sight of a fainting goat running when his muscles have frozen to be a humorous experience. Less entertaining but more effective is the goat's ability to learn how to keep his feet spread farther apart to avoid falling over.

The "fainting" that these goats experience is actually caused by myotonia. Myotonia is actually a genetic disorder that has been intentionally bred into the goats in order to continue the trait. These goats are smaller than the average sized ordinary goats most of us are familiar with. Ranging between 60 pounds and 200 pounds, many are being bred on the smaller side to be sold as pets.

While the goat appears to have fainted, he has not done so in the way we would normally associate a fainting episode. While he falls to his side, he is still wide awake and is aware of what is going on around him. This is one reason why they work so hard at finding alternatives to their fainting episodes. They are frozen but aware. His efforts to keep his balance improve with age.

As a general rule the fainting goat is an animal that relates well to his known human caretakers. He can be trained to about the same extent as a dog, is friendly and craves the attention of those he knows. He may become irritable and distressed in the sudden absence of his caretakers.

Their eyes much more prominent than the eyes of ordinary goats, giving them a look that is distinctive to their breed. The bulging eyes are another endearing feature of the fainting goat that has increased their popularity as pets. While they are classified as a meat goat, they are actually considered livestock that is to be conserved by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy and are rarely used for meat in today's society.

At one point they were used as sacrificial animals for the higher priced livestock. When wolves or other predators were close enough to be a threat, the goats would fall to their side and the predator would choose to eat them over the more active livestock they surrounded. This is not common practice anymore for many reasons, including technological advancements and the common concept that this is cruel since the goats do not lose consciousness when on their side.

The scientific community is learning all about fainting goats as there is a wealth of information available that helps explain genetic mutations and their role in evolution. For many, these goats are a great way to connect the public with some of the more intimate scientific findings regarding mutation.

by: John Payne

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