Goats faint when they’re scared.

The latest viral video to hit the internet is of a goat fainting in response to a loud noise. But what is actually happening when a goat faints? It’s not as dramatic as it seems, but it does involve a lot of blood rushing to the goat’s head.

What do goats eat?

Goats are herbivores and mostly eat grass, leaves, and other plants. They can also eat fruit, berries, and twigs. Goats are able to digest the cellulose in plants that humans can’t digest. This allows them to live on rough vegetation that humans would have trouble eating.

Why do goats faint?

“They faint because they have no blood pressure regulation.”

Goats have very low blood pressure and they are very sensitive to noise. When startled or frightened, their heart rate increases quickly and their blood vessels constrict. This causes the heart rate to increase even more until it gets too high for the body to handle.
“They faint because of an imbalance between oxygen supply and demand.”

When goats are startled or frightened by loud noises or any other type of stimulus that causes them stress, their breathing increases quickly which means that there is more oxygen in their system than before.
“They faint because they get dizzy from spinning around.”

The goat in this video was spun around repeatedly until it got dizzy enough for its body to shut down due to lack of oxygen.