Some animals have been known to change genders; clownfish, sea turtles, and even some snakes come to mind. But some people claim that even goats have the ability to switch back and forth from male to female.
Goats cannot change their gender, but there is a rare type of goat called a hermaphrodite or intersex goat that is a combination of both genders. These are usually born when two polled goats breed, but they are mostly infertile and unable to breed themselves.
Despite their odd genetic origins, these goats are just as normal as any other goat, and there can be benefits from having hermaphrodite goats in a herd.
Hermaphrodite Genetics in Goats
As we mentioned earlier, goats can’t change their gender, and not all goats are hermaphrodites. Hermaphrodite goats are a rare type of goat that have both male and female sex organs. Not every goat is a hermaphrodite, and there are some genetic factors that can influence if goats will be born as intersex goats or as one specific sex.
Before we can understand why, we should take a step back and look at the genetics behind horns. Some goats have horns, and some goats don’t. And before you ask, yes, female goats can have horns. A female goat with horns is more common than a woman with a beard, and the goats won’t blink at seeing their mom brandishing some beautiful horns. Gender has nothing to do with whether or not goats will have horns, but having horns can influence whether goats will be a hermaphrodite or not.
The gene for goat horn expression is recessive. Goats with the exact opposite gene (no horns) are called polled goats, and the gene for polled goats is dominant.
This means that if a goat has two parents, one with horns and one without, and the horned parent gives the no-horns gene to their offspring, then that will overpower the recessive horn gene, and the baby will be born without horns. And the poor kid won’t grow horns for the rest of their life. They’ll never be able to dress up as the Minotaur for Halloween.
For whatever reason, the polled goat gene is oddly connected to the hermaphrodite gene in the goat genome. Science still isn’t exactly sure why, but for whatever reason, those genes are best friends. If two polled goats mate, there’s a high chance that their polled offspring could be intersex.
Interestingly enough, the polled gene is dominant, but the buddy-gene for intersexuality is actually recessive. Horned hermaphrodites are said to exist, but they are extremely rare.
If two polled goats mate, it is likely that at least a few of their kids will express the intersex gene. This happens when they give both the polled gene and the recessive intersex gene to their offspring.
Orson N. Eaton did a study to examine the relation between polled goats and intersexuality expression, and he found that when goats with heterozygous horn genes (meaning that each member of the breeding pair both had one polled gene and one horn gene) bred, they had the most intersexual offspring. Click here to see the data and results of the study.
When the goat kids have both copies of the recessive intersex gene, it affects each gender in different ways. If the kid is male, then they will not usually be affected outwardly, and they should look just like any other male goat, but they might be sterile. Even though they won’t be a true hermaphrodite, they still won’t be able to breed. There are some cases where bucks have been tested and do express the intersex gene, but it still doesn’t impact their sexuality or ability to breed.
If female kids receive the intersex gene from both parents, there’s a high chance that they will have both male and female sex organs. They could be either true hermaphrodites or pseudo-hermaphrodites, but it all depends on which organs actually grow. If organs grow only from one gender, then they’ll be pseudo-hermaphrodites (and the organs for the other gender are still expressed, just internal). But if a goat has both pairs of sex organs, they’re a true hermaphrodite.
True hermaphrodites are usually genetically female, but they are often mistaken for males due to their aggressive behavior and lack of female sex organs. Sometimes it can be hard to tell whether a goat is a true or a pseudo-hermaphrodite, so it generally is decided on a case-by-case basis. And to be honest, most goat herders are more concerned with whether or not the goat is getting along with the rest of the herd than what their gender is.
Benefits of Hermaphrodites
Overall, most hermaphrodite goats are just like any other goat. They can be great companions for other goats, or they can exhibit aggressive behavior towards others. Even though most of them can’t breed, they can still be a valuable member of any herd.
Some people believe that milk from hermaphrodite goats (sometimes called “milk from male goats”) has curative powers, and is more potent than medicine when it comes to healing. In Gaza, goat herders ended up with an intersex goat that produced milk. This caused some problems, as the owners claimed they would never sell the goat milk (that could be used for “black magic purposes”), but the local authorities claimed milk had been sold for higher prices as a scam since it came from a male goat. In the end, the government stepped in and ordered the goat to be killed to prevent any possible scamming. The goat herders ended up being paid for the goat’s meat, but this choice did sentence an innocent goat to an early death.
Milk from intersex goats has not been proven to have any magical curing powers, but there are still some other reasons why having hermaphrodites in a goat herd can be beneficial.
Most hermaphrodite goats are infertile. However, these goats also experience breeding cycles (sometimes called “heat cycles”) and can be indicators as to when other goats in the same herd are ready to be bred. Even if the hermaphrodite goats and other goats aren’t in the same cycle, the hermaphrodite goats can sometimes excite the other goats, preparing them for a breeding cycle.