Animal Facts - Fainting Goats

In this page, we will look at the Fainting Goats.

If you have any interesting or funny facts about animals or would like to find out more information about a particular animal, please fill up the Feedback form and we will be happy to add it to our list of animal facts.

Related Topics: More Amazing Animal Facts

Do Fainting Goats exist?

The goats do not truly "faint" since they remain fully conscious. However, they do fall over due to a hereditary genetic disorder called myotonia congenita.

Fainting goats have many other names, including Myotonic Goats, Tennessee (Meat) Goats, Nervous Goats, Stiff-leg Goats, Wooden-leg Goats, and Tennessee Fainting Goats.

When a fainting goat feels panic, its muscles freeze for roughly 10 seconds. Though painless, this generally results in the animal collapsing on its side. When startled, younger goats will stiffen and fall over. Older goats learn to spread their legs or lean against something when startled, and often they continue to run about in an awkward, stiff-legged shuffle.

Goats that faint? Check out these videos to convince yourself.

It seems that this condition (myotonia congenita) can be found in dogs and cats, but that is extremely rare.