While you're onto the subject of hoofed herbivores, as a sceptical, batshit-industrious Capricorn you may want to include something about goats in Scarterra
.
I'll just leave that there and get my cloak...
A few days ago I made this article.
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"little goats"
"My children and I make a lot of jokes about me serving them 'little goats' but I have never actually done it. I My husband finds nothing humorous in this. If we did eat little goat, he would take it as a personal insult to him as a provider.
I've never eating "little goats" growing up but I heard stories from my grandmother and I listened well. We dwarves have faced hard times in the past and we may face hard times again."
-Bosoulin Chainbraids, dwarf homemaker
"Dwarves are reasonable enough people to talk to, but I would never accept a dwarf's hospitality. I noticed on my Rumspringa that in the various large cities I visited, the Dwarf Quarter never seems to have any alley cats.
-Nambra Jocan, Wood Elf
Properties
Material Characteristics
If meat is edible but of dubious origin (but
not mortal flesh, it qualifies as "little goats" at least to dwarf.
"Not every meal of little goat is a former pet or vermin. Squirrels make fine eatin' with the right herbs."
-Dulgrom, dwarf ranger
Origin & Source
Dwarves typically live with one foot in
Scarnoctis and one foot in
Scarterra. Their natural mining and crafting skills help them thrive with this lifestyle, but that doesn't change the fact that food is often scarce in the mountains and tunnels the
dwarves favor.
"Even if you take a dwarf out of the mountains, you don't take the mountains of the dwarf. It's a severe taboo for a dwarf to waste food. We don't
dwarves are infamous for not caring about who we insult but you rarely hear a dwarf insulting the person cooking their food.
I balk at a lot of dwarf traditions but I agree with our people's understanding that you never take a full belly for granted and treat every meal like a gift."
Norabruck Grumblespine, dwarven Priestess of
Nami Circuit Priestess of Nami
Dwarves in a pinch will not hesitate to eat rats or cats or
dogs much to the disgust of
humans aware of the practice. This sort of fare is (almost) never their first choice, but
dwarves do not shirk doing what is necessary to survive.
Dwarves were never picky eaters, but their main staple livestock is goats, so any questionable meat is often jokingly compared to goat meat.Mortal flesh is never classified as "little goat." It is sometimes sardonically called "two-legged goat" but
dwarves do not knowingly tolerate cannibals in their midst. That's not to say they never
unknowingly have cannibals in their midst.
I wrote this article at your prompting
Go to Scarterra Homepage
goats
Goats exist in the wild in some places but domesticated goats are common in most of Scarterra.
Like most beasts on the mortal plane, goats are susceptible to manifesting
elemental traits from their environment and their parents.
Airy goats tend to be lanky and have white fur or very light colors. Airy goats are leaner and faster than other goats. They are also better able to withstand cold temperatures and are the most sure footed. Most wild goats are airy. Relatively few goat herders considered airy traits valuable in domesticated goats unless the goat herders live in the highlands in which case airy goats are usually cross bred with another elemental variety.
Earthy goats are bigger and a bit mentally calmer, but slower than other goats. They usually have dark brown or black fur, though some sandier variants are known. They are less likely to be stubborn with their owner/herder but earthy goats are less able to handle predators or obstacles without help than other goats.
Fiery goats are easily recognizable by their reddish or orangish fur. They are ornery and more likely to headbutt or kick their handlers than other goats. On the plus side, they require less food and water to stay alive than other goats and are better able to fend for themselves against predators or other natural hazards.
Watery goats have a bluish or greenish hue. They are the smartest and most curious goats and are uncannily good at escaping leashes and enclosures. They also tend to require a lot of water to stay healthy but they are very good dairy goats.
Like with most livestock, you breed the best and eat the rest.
Local conditions and preferences vary but most goat herders believe earthy/watery hybrids are the most valuable goats in most circumstances and they will try to use these goats for breeding stock whereas the other varieties are considered expendable.
Basic Information
Genetics And Reproduction
Goat gestation is between 150 and 180 days. Twin births are the norm but single and triplet births are not rare.Female goats can reliably produce healthy offspring starting at one year till about age six. Female goats can bear young as young as three months or as old as ten but there are often complications to both mother and kid.
Dietary Needs And Habits
Goats are herbivores. Goats favor grass but wild goats will eat moss or other plants when grass is not available and domesticated goats will eat almost anything they can reach, often to their detriment.
Biological Cycle
Reproduction on both does and bucks. Having kids takes a toll on females and the aggressive mating instincts and instinctual behavior of males during the rutting season takes its toll on them which is why castrated males or "wethers" tends to outlive them both by a wide margin.Females life span maxes out around twelve years under ideal circumstances but their useful economic life is usually about eight years.
Males are so single-minded during the rutting season they will forgo food and will beat themselves or other males down.
Additional Information
Domestication
Goats have been domesticated early in
the Second Age if not before and are widespread throughout
Scarterra. Goats can be found on every major landmass.Goats are extremely common in
Penarchia and
East Colassia and are moderately common elsewhere.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Goat milk and cheese is consumed on the dinner plates of peasants and princes alike around all of
Scarterra. Compared to the cost of keeping them, goats are far more efficient milk producers than cows.In
West Colassia and
Umera, goats are kept pretty much simply for their milk, and goat meat is considered a peasant food as the meat of goats is considered a byproduct of the process.In
Penarchia and
East Colassia, goats are considered a major staple and peasants and princes alike often eat goat meat.Goats can be used as pack animals too. Goats are not always the best pack animal in
Scarterra but sometimes people have to make due with what they have and not what they wish they had. A pack goat can realistically tote 25% of his or her weight. The most reliable pack goats are more often than not castrated males (wethers).
Geographic Origin And Distribution
"I find the keeping of goats as livestock somewhat distasteful, but you cannot be a satyr in East Colassia without developing a thick skin against this sort of thing."
-Basim, Confederate satyr and apothecary and reagents dealer
Wild goats are fairly common in
West Colassia and
Penarchia. They are present in small numbers in
East Colassia.Domestic goats can be found almost everywhere. Goats are considered the main staple livestock in
East Colassia and
Penarchia. Elsewhere they are fairly common but less popular than
pigs and cows.
Average Intelligence
Goats are roughly as intelligent as
dogs.Earthy goats are considered the dimmest and watery goats are considered the smartest.
Perception And Sensory Capabilities
Goats have amazing peripheral vision relative to humans, over 320 degrees meaning they are hard to surprise though they only have true binocular vision at about 60 degrees for jumping and climbing over obstacles in front of them.
Goats hear at a wider range of frequency than humans but have less accurate echolocation and they have have to point their moveable ears at a sound to locate it.
Goat sense of smell is acute but they are generally less prone to sniffing than other animals such as dogs.
