When they're frightened It makes the goats’ skeletal muscles, especially in their back legs, suddenly tighten up and then slowly loosen again. These fainting goat videos are funny no matter how many times you watch them. For some reason, somebody thought it was wise to breed goats to carry on this defect. Concern is the main causes of fainting in goats. When the goat experiences panic and freezes, it does not suffer, nor does it feel pain. But fainting is normal in the case of myotonic goats. The Best Way to Move Mountain Goats? One explanation is that a natural mutation in a Tennessee goat herd created the gene that causes the stiffness. Fainting goats are bred for meat and milk, but some people keep these tipsy critters as pets. Since it happens momentarily, the muscles quickly begin to relax, and the goat is able to escape in case of a threat. Fainting goats are smaller than the average goat. In myotonic goat faints lasts for about 10 seconds. They don't appear to have surfaced elsewhere in the world, but certainly must have or… Why Do Fainting Goats Faint? Interestingly, it isn’t just fear that causes this reaction in fainting goats. People who own fainting goats say that playtime or even dinnertime is enough to trigger the reaction. This is the beginning of the breed, although the ultimate origin of them is likely to always remain a mystery. The goat doesn’t actually faint though. Devotees of the breed say this characteristic is a requirement for the true, historical type . In Conclusion Goats faint because of a hereditary disorder that causes their muscles to tighten when they're are frightenend. 5 Things You Should Know About: Central America. Myotonic goats are known as “fainting goats” because when something surprises or frightens them, their muscles go stiff for a short time, and they fall over! He sold the kids to nearby farmers, and after a while “Tennessee fainting goats” spread across the South. All Rights Reserved. Due to an congenital (present from birth) medical condition known as myotonia congenita or Thomsen's disease , the goat's muscles tense up when the animal is startled and don't immediately relax. Additionally, these goats typically have upright, horizontal ears, a concave profile with a defined eyebrow ridge, and the trademark buggy eyes that give them an endearing face. "Fainting Goats" or "Myotonic Goats" have a genetic defect causing their muscles to tense up when they are frightened or startled. HERE ARE SOME PICTURES Regular Goats Goats are like any other herbivores. : 396 It may also be known as the fainting goat, falling goat, stiff-legged goat or nervous goat, or as the Tennessee wooden-leg goat. Some of them will simply go "stiff legged", but others will fall and appear to go into a full faint. The Fainting Goat is a meat goat breed. Blame It On Biology. Why won't my fainting goat faint? In fact, these goats lead perfectly normal lives. They have large eyes in high sockets as opposed to other goats and can have short or long hair. Kids Discover For over 25 years, we’ve been creating beautifully crafted nonfiction products for kids. When it happens, when they do “faint”, it does very genuinely appear as what we all imagine as real fainting -drop-dead falling over, in a hilarious fashion. Fainting goats should display some degree of the myotonic faint. Even though the goats actually do not faint, they are still best known as ‘fainting goats.’. Although they never lose consciousness, the goats do appear to faint but their genetic condition does not cause them any physical pain or harm. The startle reaction in the breed is part of the condition myotonia congenita. Myotonic goats are usually black and white, but other color combinations are also possible. Don't ever tell these guys to drop dead. 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