Capra hircus (Goat)
Written by Sunday, 18 January 2009 00:00
“See how the mountain goat hangs from the summit of the cliff; you would expect it to fall; it is merely showing its contempt for the dogs.” Marcus Valerius Martial
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Capra hircus (family: Bovidae; common name: Goat) The domestic goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep: both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of goats. Goats are one of the oldest domesticated species. For thousands of years, goats have been used for their milk, meat, hair, and skins over much of the world. For some reason, this animal is photographed much less than the other member of its family (sheep, cows, antilopes etc.). A possible explanation might be that they are usually left to feed in the wild – especially in mountainous regions, so access to them is not as easy. Indeed, all the goats shown in this album were shot on mountains. The first two on Mount Helmos (central – north Peloponnese, Greece) and the subsequent two on Mount Aenos (island of Cephallonia, Ionian Sea, Greece). On both occasions the elevation was over 700 m. The animals feed during the whole day while they stand and walk on very steep slopes. The last photo was taken at Strophylia reserve; the goat turned towards us and stood still ready for confrontation when we approached the field it was grazing in which allowed us to frame it nicely. Photos by Marina Parha and George J. Reclos 1. Camera: Nikon D300 2. Camera: Nikon D300 3. Camera: Nikon D2x 4. Camera: Nikon D2x 5. Camera: Nikon D3x
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