Expressions on goats' faces
A DigitalNZ Story by Zokoroa
These photos illustrate the ways in which goats express their feelings on their face. If you're happy and you know it, so will a goat!
Do goats' faces express their feelings? Go goat watching! What mood or personality do they convey? See how they seek out your face when attracting your attention. What wise pearls of wisdom could they share? After years of living around people, goats may have learned to read and respond to facial expressions, and they seem to like happy people better. See: ABC News: Bopha Phorn (30 Aug 2018), "Goats get human feelings and prefer happy faces: Study.
Look me in the eye and repeat what you said - truthfully now.
iNaturalist NZ — Mātaki Taiao
Now Chinese philospher Confucius says: “Do not do unto others what you would not want others to do unto you.”
iNaturalist NZ — Mātaki Taiao
What do you think? Hmm, sounds a bit woolly to me!
Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Well - let me see...I will need to think about it. Let's milk it for all it's worth!
Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Hi everyone. Let's head off now to eat that greener grass for our lunch.
iNaturalist NZ — Mātaki Taiao
Hurry up everyone - it is time for our afternoon storytime!
iNaturalist NZ — Mātaki Taiao
Yippee, we have visitors today - lots of cuddles!
Tauranga City Libraries
Come and meet my baby goat - "Kid say hi to Kid!"
Upper Hutt City Library
Further reading:
Cooper, Tamsin (3 March 2021), "It's written on goats' faces", Goat Journal
Nawroth, Christian (1 Aug 2018), "Goats prefer positive human emotional facial expressions", Royal Society Open Science, (Vol. 5, Issue 8)
This DigitalNZ story was updated Dec 2025