Fainting Goats Video

Enjoy this fainting goats video. It's interesting, yet entertaining!

It's about (as you may have guessed) fainting goats which are a unique breed of domestic goat whose muscles freeze for roughly 10 seconds when the goat is startled. Even though the muscle freezing is painless for the goats, this generally results in the animal collapsing on its side. When younger goats are startled, they will stiffen and fall over. As the goats grow older they learn to spread their legs or lean against something when startled, and often they continue to run about in an awkward, stiff-legged shuffle.

What is the cause of the freezing? Fainting goats have a muscle condition, caused by a hereditary genetic disorder called myotonia congenita. The goats do not truly “faint” in any sense of the word, as they never lose consciousness because of their myotonia. They remain fully conscious.