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A goat is any of several species of medium-sized grazing animal. All goats (and sheep) belong to the subfamily Caprinae of the family Bovidae. In common use, however, goat is usually understood to mean the Domestic Goat, Capra aegagrus hircus, a subspecies of the Wild Goat of south-west Asia and eastern Europe.

Female goats are referred to as does or nannies, intact males as bucks or billies. Castrated males are wethers, offspring are kids. Goat meat is sometimes called chevon.

Goats have been domesticated for roughly 10,000 years: they are kept for the production of milk and hair. They are also harvested for their meatMeat is animal flesh (mainly muscle tissue) used as food, sometimes with the exception of fish, other seafood, and poultry. Originally, the word meat meant simply "food". It is also used as a vulgar way to refer to the human body. see meat market. For the. Domestic goats are generally kept in herds that wander on hills or other grazing areas, often tended by goatherdA goatherd is a person who herds goats for a living. Similar to a shepherd.s who are frequently children or adolescents, similar to the more widely known shepherd.

Goats are reputed to be willing to eat almost anything. Contrary to this reputation they are quite fastidious in their habits, preferring to browse on the tips of woody shrubs and trees, as well as the occasional broad leaved plant. Goats are very fond of wheat grain. They will seldom eat soiled food or water unless facing starvation. They certainly do not consume garbage, tin cans, or clothing. But they do eat canes. Their reputation for doing so is most likely due to their intensely inquisitive and intelligent nature: they will explore anything new or unfamiliar in their surroundings. Lacking hands and fingers, they do so primarily with their prehensile upper lip and tongue. This causes them to investigate clothes by chewing.

The goat is one of the twelve-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendarThe Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar formed by combining a purely lunar calendar with a solar calendar. Among Chinese, the calendar is not used for most day to day activities, but is used for the dating of holidays such as Chinese New Year (Spring. It is thought that each animal is associated with certain personality traits; those born in a year of the goat are predicted to be shy, introverted, creative, and perfectionistic. See Sheep (Zodiac).