Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The Puyallup Fair - Goats (and a Sheep)



Did you know that there is a breed of goat that doesn't have ears? I mean they don't have ear flaps, just holes. They are called La Mancha goats. Finding out things like this is why fairs are da bomb.

See the growths on this guys neck? They are called waddles. They are a defense mechanism. In the days when goats roamed free if a wolf or other predator tried to grab a goat of this sort by the neck they would be disappointed. The waddle is designed to tear off so all the predator would get is a half a mouthful of waddle hopefully giving the goat time to run away. This seems like a better plan than that of the fainting goats.



3 comments:

Nathan Crook said...

I would venture to say that the La Mancha goat appears to be well suited for Greco-Roman wrestling: no handlebars=no cauliflower ear!

NC

JJ said...

I'm thinking Nathan has an obsession with wrestling!!!! I have to say the no ear goat is kind of freaking me out.

Nathan Crook said...

I may have been a bit punchy yesterday while writing the upcoming exam for my Cultural Anthropology class, but wresteling IS on my mind. Take a look at this multiple-guess question and the the choices:
6. __________ and __________ are the hallmarks of our species.
a. Language, communication
b. Adaptability, culture
c. NASCAR, WWE
d. Mobility, complexity
I hope none of my students are lurking on your blog.

NC