Sunday, February 21, 2010

Myotonic Goats

A fainting goat is a breed of domestic goat whose muscles freeze for roughly 10 seconds when the goat is startled. Though painless, this generally results in the animal collapsing on its side. The characteristic is caused by a hereditary genetic disorder called myotonia congenita. When startled, younger goats will stiffen and fall over. Older goats learn to spread their legs or lean against something when startled, and often they continue to run about in an awkward, stiff-legged shuffle - wikipedia





1 comment:

Cole said...

That's a huge disadvantage for the goat. That's why they only exist in captivity, any predator could catch one easily.