This selection of Irish animals, native or introduced, is taken from the Appletree Press title Animals of Ireland. There will be a number of extracts from the book in coming months. The book contains highly detailed full colour illustrations to complement the detailed explanatory text.

Feral Goat
Capra hircus
Fia ghabhar

The origins of Ireland's scattered herds of Feral goats are now obscure. Some may have ancient pedigree but other are doubtless descendants of animals released into the wild over the past few decades.

Despite their domestic influences Feral goats adopt a hierarchical structure typical of wild ungulates, with a dozen or more individuals per herd dominated by an old male. This is obvious when the herd is approached and the old male takes up an aggressive posture in front of the herd. These old males are formidable animals which may be over 45 kg (100 lb) in weight and have large swept-back horns. These horns may be more than 46 cm (18 inches) long and coiled upwards and outwards. Females are much smaller and lighter and have smaller, straighter horns.

The colour of the coat is very variable but is usually white or a combination of black, brown and white. The texture is thick and shaggy and may be so rough on the adults as to make them quite inconspicuous against a background of lichen-covered rocks.

Unlike the male deer, which have head-to-head sparring bouts with their antlers entangled, Feral goats indulge in 'head-bashing'. Each combatant rears up on its hind legs to head-butt the other violently and with an audible thump – quite a spectacle in the wild. Mating takes place in late autumn and the kids are born in the early spring – approximately five months' gestation period.

Goats are well known for their capacity to eat almost anything growing and Feral goats show the same characteristic. Plants shunned by other browsers are avidly consumed by these animals. Indeed a herd of goats will totally inhibit the natural regeneration of trees and shrubs. Brambles, ivy, gorse and heather are eaten as readily as are thistles, nettles and a wide range of more conventional fodder.

Feral goats are denizens of the wilder mountainous regions of Ireland. Most of the herds still found here occupy this kind of habitat in Ireland's coastal counties. They are also found in the rocky plateau of the Burren. These herds were formerly more widespread but target practice with high-powered rifles has reduced their numbers in recent years. The herd of goats is to most people an acceptable and interesting feature of the wilder Irish landscape. The bearded, twisted-horned old males give character to these places, now devoid of other wild ungulates.

Other Large Mammals from Animals of Ireland include:
Connemara Pony |
Fallow Deer |
Red Deer |
Sika Deer