The pinyin of goat is [shān yáng].

China has a long history of goat raising, and there are written records of goat raising as early as the Xia and Shang Dynasties. Goat production has the characteristics of high reproductive rate, strong adaptability, and easy management, and is widely raised in the vast agricultural and pastoral areas of China.

Since the reform and opening up, China’s goat industry has developed rapidly and made remarkable achievements. China's goats are distributed widely throughout the country. In more than half of the provinces (districts) in the country, the number of goats exceeds that of sheep. In some southern provinces (districts), goats can be raised where sheep cannot be raised.

Goats can change plant communities and forest structures, and can transmit diseases to native animals. The Invasive Species Expert Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Species Survival Commission lists them as one of the top 100 invasive alien species in the world.

Extended information

Goats have strong foraging power and a variety of food habits. They can eat all kinds of grasses, and they can eat all kinds of grasses, shrub branches and leaves, crop straws, vegetable leaves, peels, vines, etc. Agricultural and sideline products can be eaten, and the types of plants they eat are wider than other livestock.

When the goat's pupil dilates, its shape is close to a rectangle. This is determined by the optical properties of the vitreous body of the goat's eye, the shape and sensitivity of the retina, and the goat's living environment and needs.

In fact, the pupils of most ungulate animals are approximately rectangular when dilated.

Goats are very gregarious. Regardless of whether they are grazing or house-raising, goats always like to move together. Among them, the older sheep with more offspring and stronger bodies play the role of "head sheep". Under the leadership of the leader sheep, other sheep can only follow obediently to graze, enter and exit, get up and lie down, cross bridges and pass through narrow places. The gregarious nature of goats facilitates herding in large groups.