It's a goat. A fainting goat.
this is a post from resource.crx.org.... they're supposed to be talking about cars, but got off subject.. i was simply amazed...
The name "Fainting" goat is a bit misleading because they do not actually faint. They have a genetic problem with relaxing muscles. When they are startled or surprised their muscles lock up and the goat then sometimes falls over. Hence the name "Fainting" Goat .
The goats were used primarily for meat, although they were also used to protect sheep. With a Fainting goat in the herd if coyotes or dogs threatened the sheep, the sheep could run away while the Fainting goat fell over, providing the predator with an easy meal while the sheep escaped. These goats were close to extinction by the 1980's, but have now been bred back to where they are no longer endangered.
someone else's reply to a skeptic:
Nope, they're 100% real. Where I grew up (San Angelo, in West Texas), sheep farmers were everywhere. There was one guy that I used to do some work for, and he had managed to gather an entire herd of them. Out there, they call them "Scare Goats"...
Anyway, one day the guy was telling me about it, and I called BS on him. So he loads me in his truck, takes me to his ranch, and here's a herd of goats quietly grazing - about 20 or so. He walks up quietly, and when he's about 10' away, he jumps in the air, yelling at the top of his lungs. I'll be damned if ALL of the goats didn't just fall over right where they were! Simply amazing. And kinda cruel, too... But funny!
He was even starting a "Texas Scare Goat Association" with some friends of his.
i'm going to try my hardest to find a video of one of these things in action. if i find one, i'll post a link.
The name "Fainting" goat is a bit misleading because they do not actually faint. They have a genetic problem with relaxing muscles. When they are startled or surprised their muscles lock up and the goat then sometimes falls over. Hence the name "Fainting" Goat .
The goats were used primarily for meat, although they were also used to protect sheep. With a Fainting goat in the herd if coyotes or dogs threatened the sheep, the sheep could run away while the Fainting goat fell over, providing the predator with an easy meal while the sheep escaped. These goats were close to extinction by the 1980's, but have now been bred back to where they are no longer endangered.
someone else's reply to a skeptic:
Nope, they're 100% real. Where I grew up (San Angelo, in West Texas), sheep farmers were everywhere. There was one guy that I used to do some work for, and he had managed to gather an entire herd of them. Out there, they call them "Scare Goats"...
Anyway, one day the guy was telling me about it, and I called BS on him. So he loads me in his truck, takes me to his ranch, and here's a herd of goats quietly grazing - about 20 or so. He walks up quietly, and when he's about 10' away, he jumps in the air, yelling at the top of his lungs. I'll be damned if ALL of the goats didn't just fall over right where they were! Simply amazing. And kinda cruel, too... But funny!
He was even starting a "Texas Scare Goat Association" with some friends of his.
i'm going to try my hardest to find a video of one of these things in action. if i find one, i'll post a link.