Baby goats have a wide range of strange behaviors. From drinking pee to licking each other’s behinds, there are a lot of questions you have about what is going on in a baby goat’s head. One of the most random behaviors that a baby goat has is their love for jumping. If you have a baby goat, you may have noticed that they love to jump all the time. In today’s article, we are going to explain exactly why they do this.
Stotting
When a goat jumps into the air, it is called stotting. Stotting refers to when an animal jumps into the air with all four feet at the same time. The legs are usually held in a straight, stiff position. There are many theories as to why baby goats stott.
While there are many theories, it is certain that this behavior is genetic and passed down from when goats were living in the wild. Stotting is not only done by baby goats. It is also common in other grassland animals such as gazelles and deer. Sometimes, a mountain goat will fall when it gets too excited and jumps.
Why do baby goats jump all the time?
The main reasons baby goats jump all the time are: To scare off predators, improve vision, communicate, impress mates, play, and natural habitat.
Adult goats usually stop jumping because they eventually realize that it is useless while living domestically on a farm.
Scare off predators
While the act of jumping probably won’t scare off a predator, it will at least show the predator that the goat is athletic and fast. The goat is hoping that by showing of its athleticism, the predator will lose interest and not feel like chasing after the goat.
Vision
A baby goat might also be jumping around in order to have better vision. This was common for goats that lived in tall grasslands or brushes where there line of vision might be obstructed. By jumping into the air, they can see when a predator is coming toward them.
Communication
Goats might also use their jumping behavior to communicate to other goats that danger is nearby. They could also jump just to let other goats know that they are anxious or upset about something.
Impress mates
Some people have also theorized that goats will jump around in order to show off their athleticism to other potential mates. Obviously, goats are looking to mate with a goat that is healthy and athletic, and jumping is a quick and easy way to show off this athleticism.
Play
A goat may also be jumping around if they are trying to convince their other goat friends to play around with them. This is similar to when dog’s will pounce around each other. It’s important that you have enough land for your goats to play around.
Natural habitat
If you didn’t already know, most goats originate from mountain regions where there are many rocks and crevices. In these conditions, the goat is required to jump around a lot in order to maneuver around the terrain. Therefore, baby goats might still have those instinctive jumping genes.
