Skeletal System of a Goat

The goat skeleton, like the skeleton of all animals, gives the goat its distinctive shape. The skeletal system consists of bones, but it isn't as simple as that. The bones of the goat's skeleton have many shapes and purposes.

  1. Purpose

    • The purpose of the goat's skeleton is to provide a support structure that promotes movement while protecting vital organs. The way the goat's bones work together give it the ability to function. Improper bone structure causes lameness and the inability to search for food, escape predators and care for young.

    Bones

    • The skeletal system is simply bones, but bones are not simple structures. They are a hard, strong shell composed of fibrous tissues and cells. Two thirds of the weight of a bone is natural salts, including calcium. Calcium salt is the organic substance that make the bones the hard surfaces that they are.

    Blood Connection

    • Bones also have an unseen purpose. Deep inside the bone, the marrow provides storage for vital minerals. The marrow also creates new blood cells to replace old, depleted red blood cells as needed.

    Types of Bones

    • There are six types of bones in the goat skeleton. Long bones make walking possible, and hold the body upright. Short bones form joints like the knee and elbow. Flat bones form a shield around vital organs. Sesamoid bones are small (seed shaped) bones that create cushions around complex tendon areas like the hock (wrist). Pnematic bones, mostly found in the skull, form a shield that is oxygen permeable so oxygen can get in. Irregular bones form support colums like the vertebra and support the entire muscular and skeletal systems.

    Skeletal Divisions

    • The first of the two main divisions of the goat skeleton is the axial, composed of the skull, vertebra, sternum and ribs. The second is the appendicular, consisting of all four limbs.

      The axial skeleton is further divided into four parts: the skull, the cervical column (neck), the vertebral column (spine), and the thoracic (ribs).

    External Bones

    • The goat is one of the few creatures that have bones on the outside of their skin. The horns on a goat are bony extensions of the skull. They have blood flowing through the interior, and if a horn breaks the goat can bleed to death. The horn provides a vital function of cooling through the blood flow exchanging heat out of the body through the horn. Horns are also sensory organs that goats use to communicate with each other, and weapons for fighting and protection.