Some goat breeds are weird and mysterious just like our mother nature. From the alien looking Dutch Landrace to the Ibex Goat with the weirdest horns, these goats have some pretty wild looks that set them apart from the rest. These polled animals come in a wide array of shapes and sizes, with nearly as many different coat colors and patterns as there are breeds of dogs. What ties them all together is their quirky personalities. These weird goats are also infamous for their independent nature and sometimes challenging temperament just like usual goats. So irrespective of what kind of goat you love (or maybe because of it), here are 10 of the weird goat breeds on the planet.
1 Damascus Goat Breed
The “Goat Monster” is an obscure name given by the internet to this unique and weird looking Damascus Goat. The Damascus Goats are often also called Aleppo, Halep, Baladi, Damascene, Shami, or Chami. They possess the biggest forehead, pendulous ear and jutting jaw – all of which are distinctive for these smaller breeds of animals. Their unusual appearance has made them expensive pets to own. The weird goat breed comes from Damascus, the capital of Syria, though it’s also found in parts of Cyprus and Lebanon. Farmers likely focused on this breed for their dairy and meat production, with some being used as show animals. Despite their common appearance, the breed is actually a type of Nubian goat.
Most goats of this breed have a shaggy coat, though some can have hair that resembles much alike the Nubian goat. In the case of the Damascus goat, many owners take things a step further by shortening their ears and cutting off excess hair. Though not all owners choose to do this, pictures of cropped Damascus goats are common on the internet. This is done to help trammel injuries to their unusually long ears that measure up to 27-32 cm in length. Adult life weight is usually between 65 and 75 kg, with some differences in males and females. Horns are not often present, and may be absent mostly. This is a large breed and has a body circumference of between 97-99cm.
The body coat color of the Damascus goat is reddish-brown, and it rarely has an appearance of black, which is a recessive gene in the community. Some have silver-white, white, fawn and gray coat colors. It turns out that the rare goat called Damascus is sometimes referred to as the Shami. This rare breed, who are now highly sought after and traded for a starting price of around $67,000 USD.
2 Arapawa Goat Breed
The rare New Zealand weird loooking Arapawa goat is one of the most endangered breeds in the world. According to the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, their numbers are almost at an all-time low. The Arapawa is an ancient goat breed which came to New Zealand with European explorers or colonists in the 16th century. The Arapawa Goat is a very rare breed that exists only in the South Island of New Zealand.
Arapawa goats are considered medium-sized animals, weight can reach up to around 60 to 80 pounds and bucks weight reach up to around 125 pounds. Arapawa goats have long hair that come in mostly black, brown, or white variations with different patterns of badger lines on their faces. It will typically produce twins without any difficulty and are well-adjusted from the start. The Arapawas are a pacifism breed that make for a wonderful family pet if given socialization early in life.
After a study of historical records, Alison Sutherland from New Zealand concluded that the Arapawa goats may have originated on the Island by James Cook who released an original pair in 1773.
3 Angora Goat Breed
While other animals are typically bred for their meat, the Angora goat breed has been specially bred as an animal with a new and innovative fiber. They produce an incredibly soft and luxurious fiber that makes clothing and other soft goods feel like silk. It originated in Turkey, but has spread throughout many countries. Despite its small size, a single Angora can output up to 4.5 kg of fiber per annum. Angoras have white hair, though some individuals are gray, brown, or black.
Angora goats are relatively small in comparison to dairy goats or sheep and strangest one in looks. Adult female Angoras stand about 3 feet tall, and weight can reach around 70-110 pounds while adult males stand about 4 feet tall and weight can reach up to around 180-225 pounds. The cost of an Angora goat ranges from $300 to $650, depending on other factors such as the age and color.
But despite all the good features, Angoras are not an especially hard breed. They require high levels of nutrition and environmental care, which might make them a bit more challenging to keep. However, if you want to get 8 to 11 pounds of mohair, making an Angora your new pet is probably going to be worth it.
4 Old Irish Goat Breed
The Old Irish goat is a breed of goat found in Ireland. The Irish goats are native only to Ireland as an export, but it was named when exported to England in its natural habitat. This breed became the rarest and weirdest among Irish goats until around 1900, having arrived sometime during the Mesolithic period.
As the climate in the country changed, the goat gradually adapted to these conditions until it became a well loved and integrated community member. During a time of great famine, however, many of these goats were set free to fend for themselves as their owners could no longer afford to feed them anymore and remaining goats were considered to be feral.
The Old Irish Goat can be seen in a variety of colors and patterns of white, black, gray and rich to pale browns. The Old Irish Goat is described with a unique image, with bumper sideburns, long beard, flamboyant coif and it has a crown of majestic horns. Male weigh up to 187.4 pounds while females weigh up to 121.3 pounds.
Before the twentieth century, farmers were able to raise Old Irish goats to efficiently feed communities and for commercial purposes. The descendants of these agriculture animals, who are now referred to as feral herds, can be used for the conservation of important grazing grounds in a variety of ways. They have immense nutritional and economic value as a source of protein, being able to offer high fat milk due to their use in range-lands.
5 Bilberry Goat Breed
The Bilberry goat is a wild goat which lived on Bilberry Rock and they are never domesticated and is known to have been living there for hundreds of years. While not much is known about the history of goats, it is believed they came with the Hugouts more than 300 years ago. While we could cite the exact numbers of goats living on the rock, it’s known that there are around 100 at any given time. Furthermore, authorities are taking measures to try and protect the goat, not to save them all from extinction, but in order to ensure their survival.
European Goat Experts are amazed to see these primitive creatures still living in the wild and claim that they are a unique ancient breed. The herd is currently 28 goats, with eight females. They have shaggy coats, large horns, and a weird appearance unlike any other goat you’ve seen.
The Bilberry Goat Trust was founded to prevent the extinction of these goats, which were originally set to lose their habitat with the advent of a developer who wanted to build houses on the commonage. Following public outcry, Zoning authorities reduced their amount of land from 14 acres down to 12.5 acres.
6 Dutch Landrace Goat Breed
This weird goat breed is known for their unique, hairy appearance, as well as their ability to dodge death and It has been present in the Netherlands from at least the mid-17th century. However, in this case it was just a trick of genetics. Apparently, the Dutch Landrace obtained immunity from death, preventing extinction in the 1950s alone. Only two goats remained until 1958 when crossbreeding with other unknown goats was reinstated until the species could be re-balanced and repopulated once more.
The Dutch Landrace was originally bred to be short, stocky and of medium size. It comes in different colors, but is commonly brown, blue, white, gray, black or “wild-coloured” but they likely don’t have Swiss markings. The coat is usually long and rough. And male average weight can reach up to 165.347 pounds while female average weight up to 132.277 pounds.
However, in 2020, the species was named at risk of extinction. With the growing popularity of the Dutch Landrace breed, a breed association was formed in 1982. As a result, people are still trying to keep this curvy breed alive as it’s aesthetically interesting and has quite a following.
7 Ibex Goat Breed
With their large horns with a unique shape, IBEX goats are one of the wild mountain weird goats that people recognize easily. There have been references to these goats in ancient records going back 3100 BC. The IBEX goat has been hunted and with its distinctive coat and horns. The IBEX was believed to be close to extinction by the 15th century because hunters were not careful enough and shot them when they didn’t need to. They are found in North Africa, Eurasia and East Africa, so they tend to flee when humans get too close.
Ibex are usually about 30 to 170 cm long from their weathers and weigh about 65 to 265 pounds. Both male and female ibex have curved downward horns, which are used for territorial defense and sexual selection. The horns curve around to form a semicircle, with knobby rings on the outer part of the horn. Male horns may reach about 5 feet long.
8 Rove Goat Breed
In France, this would be the Rove goat, a breed that once nearly went extinct but scientists have managed to make it come back. This medium sized goat by origins in La Rove, a small village near Marseilleand and it can be mostly seen for its long, curved horns, and soft coat.
However the reason for the rough’s existence has changed considerably throughout its lifetime due to the local French culture first formed with Rove Goats meat. Females weigh between 100 and 120 lbs (45-55 kg) while males weigh between 150 and 190 lbs (68-86 kg). Currently, Rove goat is being used for Darien’s dead. The Rove goat natively thrives in France, but the locals there did not see an interest in their own usage. It’s important to note that over 5000 Rove goats have come into existence since 2003 alone in France.
The use of the Rove goat continues to vary, with most still being used primarily for dairy production, but some breeders still make varieties of the Rove goat that can also be eaten. Still, regardless of your personal opinion on crossing the species in its meat form, everyone agrees that the horns are so spectacular.
9 Toggenburg Goat Breed
For dairy goat breeds, the Toggenburg is one of six that has national and international recognition. The Toggenburg is a dairy goat breed specialized for its small size, strong legs, and elongated body. It has a wide forehead, distinctive wide muzzle, and either curved up or slightly dished horns. Most Toggenburgs are polled; otherwise the horns are upwardly bent. Male and females both often have beards and wattles. Ears are erect in both sexes and their footpads can vary from broad to narrow.
Toggenburgs are small, sturdy, dairy animals. They usually weigh around 55kg and have an average height of 79cm for females and 90cm for males. The coat is short and fine, with colors ranging from chocolate brown to tan and cream markings on different parts of their body. These markings may fade with age and sometimes horns and tassels will grow at birth, but not always.
Toggenburg goats are also credited as being the oldest known dairy breed. This breed is medium size, sturdy, vigorous, and alert looking. The Toggenburg buck’s ability should be judged based on his reproductive abilities, as well as their offspring’s quality and performance.
10 Valais Blackneck Goat Breed
The Valais Blackneck is a distinctive goat that can be found in many parts of Switzerland. The Valais Blackneck, A Swiss goat famous for its unique cookie styled coating. Those who know what a black and white cookie is will immediately recognize that distinctive coloring as an asset of this particular animal. This is one of those goats that are called by many different names. like Race de Viège, Gletschergeiss, Chèvre des Glaciers, Col Noir du Valais or Walliser, Vallesana.
Its unique appearance is what makes it well known among Swiss citizens. Average height for male reach up to 85 cm and weigh 165.3 pounds while female goats height can reach up to 75 cm and weigh 121.2 pounds.
Switzerland is home to this particular goat. They are best known for their uniquely black necks, which are white with a hint of gray. However, because they are small—adventurous goats may wander off and they were once considered critically endangered outside of Switzerland—the breed is still struggling to survive with 100 numbers in Australia.