Common Name: African Pygmy Goat Scientific Name: Capra hircus hircus
GLOBALLY COMMON African Pygmy Goat Distribution: Africa
Habitat: Grassland Height: Approx. 50cm Weight: Up to 40kg Diet: Herbivorous
Pygmy Goats are much smaller than any other goat and have very short, stumpy legs. They have short beards and the male has longer horns than the female. These goats come in many different colours but are mostly silvery grey with white patches. They have been known to come in chocolate brown and caramel shades too. Pygmy goats are originally from Africa and are found as widely distributed as South Senegal through Central Africa to Southern Sudan. They are used to dry climates with desert and savannah landscapes. They are still bred in Africa for meat and milk as they were 10,000 years ago. In the wild they survive on what grass or plants they can find. In the zoo they are fed on hay, bread and fresh produce. The Pygmy goat has a very wide distribution along the equator through Central Africa. Pygmy goats are very social animals and should never be housed alone. They do not have a specific mating season but most young are born in the spring. Their gestation period (pregnancy) lasts for 150 days when the female gives birth to between 1 and 3 kids usually only weighing a couple of pounds each. Weaning takes place when the kids are about 12 weeks old. At this time the males are sexually mature but the females do not breed until they are between 7 and 12 months old.