What Do Bezoar Goats Eat?

The bezoar is a type of wild goat native to the Greek isles and numerous Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey. It's one of the species of goats from which domestic goats have descended. Bezoars range in size from 130 to 300 lbs. and feature scimitar-shaped horns with sharp inner edges. These goats are herbivores, and the types of plants they eat largely depends on what is available in the rugged environments they call home.

  1. Milk

    • Like many young mammals, bezoar goats start life with a diet consisting exclusively of mother's milk. However, the nursing stage doesn't last long for these rugged animals. By the time they are about a week old, most bezoar kids are weaned from their mothers and begin foraging in the mountainous terrain for the same plant foods as the adult goats in their pack.

    Grasses

    • Selective grazers, bezoar goats feed on any of the hardy grasses that grow in the rocky surroundings they inhabit. Like most mountain goats, they also eat herbs, bushes and shrubs -- as well as other low-growing plants, such as ferns and moss -- if they can be found. In captivity, the goats' diet may be supplemented with hay or mineral blocks.

    Trees

    • In the spring and summer, bezoar goats turn their attention to the greenery above them, standing on their hind feet or even climbing up a bit to eat the leaves from some of their favorite deciduous trees. They have been known to prefer oak trees or mountain mahogany as food sources, where available, but they aren't choosy and may even eat the bark of trees.

    Other Plants

    • While grazing among trees and bushes, bezoar goats sometimes eat berries along with their branches, leaves and twigs. In 1970, a few dozen of the species were brought from Iran to New Mexico, where they became known as the Persian ibex. New Mexicans have witnessed the goats eating leafy plants and desert fare such as the cholla cactus or the prickly pear cactus.