Thanks Kathy. It’s interesting that you called this a goat. When I first saw the flock I thought they were sheep. Then when working with the photos I thought they might be goats. I almost changed the description, but first I looked up the differences. (A good reference is here.) That convinced me they are sheep. For one thing, sheep have a distinct philtrum (divided upper lip) while goats do not. (The divided lip is not as clearly evident in this photo as it was in some of the others.) Also, while most goats have horns and only some sheep do, sheep horns tend to be think at the base and curl around (like a big horn sheep) while goats horns are thinner and straighter. Again, hard to tell from this youngster, but some of his elders were rams with full curl horns. So, I’m going with sheep!
Fun facts Larry! 🙂 I still think this youngster looks more like a goat than a sheep, even after reading the article and watching the video. Maybe it would have to get older for us to be certain. But since its father was a ram, it’s probably a sheep!
Love this! Goats are amazing….and I don’t find the stare to be “blank”! There’s curiosity there. 🙂
Thanks Kathy. It’s interesting that you called this a goat. When I first saw the flock I thought they were sheep. Then when working with the photos I thought they might be goats. I almost changed the description, but first I looked up the differences. (A good reference is here.) That convinced me they are sheep. For one thing, sheep have a distinct philtrum (divided upper lip) while goats do not. (The divided lip is not as clearly evident in this photo as it was in some of the others.) Also, while most goats have horns and only some sheep do, sheep horns tend to be think at the base and curl around (like a big horn sheep) while goats horns are thinner and straighter. Again, hard to tell from this youngster, but some of his elders were rams with full curl horns. So, I’m going with sheep!
Fun facts Larry! 🙂 I still think this youngster looks more like a goat than a sheep, even after reading the article and watching the video. Maybe it would have to get older for us to be certain. But since its father was a ram, it’s probably a sheep!
Sheepishly,
Kathy