New Kids on the Block Trivia Quiz

Answer: Switzerland

Stiefelgeiss is German for booted goat. The breed originated in highlands around St. Gallen, Switzerland and is a domestic breed of mountain goat. Both males and females have horns. The breed almost became extinct in the 1980s but has since rebounded because of active preservation efforts of the Booted Goat Breeders Club of Switzerland.

"Heidi" was a children's book published in 1880 about a little girl's adventures in the Swiss Alps.

Answer: Angora

Ankara was historically known as Angora and is where the breed got its name. It is believed the breed originated in Tibet and came to the area in the 16th century. From Turkey, the breed spread. The breed produces mohair, a highly prized silk-like fiber. South Africa and the US are large producers of the fiber and China is a growing producer.

Traditionally the goats were white and the mohair they produced dyed well. More recently, colored varieties of the breed have been promoted. These varieties are broken down into two main colors, black and red. The black can run from pure black to light greys and silvers. The reds are normally a solid color but do tend to lose color as the goat ages.

Answer: Kashmir goat

The royal goat herd from which Taffy IV came were Kashmir goats that were a gift to Queen Victoria from the Shah of Persia. Kashmir goats are more commonly known as Cashmere goats and are the source of cashmere wool. The breed has spread all over the world and been bred with other local breeds to produce distinct forms of cashmere.

Three Kashmir goats serve with the Royal Welsh -
1) Lance Corporal William Windsor, aka Billy, followed by a Roman numeral; now of the 1st Battalion which was formerly The Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
2) Taffy followed by a Roman numeral; now of the 2nd Battalion which was formerly The Royal Regiment of Wales.
3) Shenkin followed by a Roman numeral; now of the 3rd Battalion which was formerly The Royal Welsh Regiment.

Answer: Africa

The Cameroon Valley of West Africa is where the pygmy goat traces its origins. From European zoos they came to the US where they are a popular breed with both private breeders and petting zoos. The breed is friendly and hardy with a normally pleasant disposition.

Their coats can vary wildly but there are three main categories: caramel patterned, agouti patterned, and black patterned. They can be used as dairy goats.

Answer: France and Spain

Although sometimes confused with the wild and extinct Pyrenean ibex, the Pyrenean goat is a domesticated breed raised for both milk and meat. They can be found in the French and Spanish Pyrenees as well as the Spanish Cantabrian Mountains. Although it thrived around the turn of the 20th century, by the early 1990s the breed faced extinction. Through conservation efforts, it has rebounded.

Answer: Nubian goat

The Anglo-Nubian or just Nubian goat was first bred in England from the Old English Milch goat which was bred with the Jumna Pari goat of India and the Zariby goat of Egypt. From England the breed spread around the world. The goat is both a dairy and meat goat.

Its milk is highly prized for its butterfat content. The goat is known for its 'Roman Nose' and floppy ears. It is a sociable, noisy goat. Other nicknames include the "Long-eared Goat" and "Greyhound Goat".

Answer: Ireland

Bilberry Rock is found in Waterford Ireland. The breed has lived on the rock for centuries. It is believed the breed was brought to Ireland by French Huguenots. The breed faced extinction in 2000 so the Bilberry Goat Heritage Trust was set up to conserve the ancient wild breed.

"Danny Boy" is a traditional Irish ballad hence the clue.

Answer: True

Fainting goats or myotonic goats suffer from a genetic disorder called myotonia congenita or Thomsen's disease. When frightened, the goat's muscles tense up and don't relax for a few seconds. They never lose consciousness even though they may fall over.

The severity of the disorder varies from animal to animal. The condition also occurs in humans, dogs, cats and one breed of pony. The breed develops larger muscles than similar sized breeds and therefore is highly sought after. The breed goes by other names as well.

These include: "Tennessee (Meat) Goats, Nervous Goats, Stiff-leg Goats, Wooden-leg Goats, and Tennessee Fainting Goats" (Wikipedia).

Answer: Switzerland

The Valais blackneck goat is most concentrated in the Swiss canton of Valais, hence the name. The breed also has German (Walliser Schwarzhalsziege or Gletschergeiss), Italian (Vallesana or Vallese), and French (Col Noir du Valais, Chèvre des Glaciers or Race de Viège) names.

The coloring is very distinctive going from black in the front to white in the rear with a clear color pattern break. The English Bagot goat that has similar coloring is believed to have descended from a Valais presented to Richard II in 1380.

Answer: Himalayas

Pashmina goats are from the Himalayas and are closely related to Kashmir goats. Pashmina is considered a finer cashmere than most cashmeres, although it is not recognized as a distinct fiber by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission because Pashmina is too many times blended with other fibers such as silk.

It is believed that Pashmina cashmere is a finer fiber because the goats are raised at such a high altitude. Pashmina has become synonymous with the scarves and shawls made from the fabric that comes from this wool.