The domestic goat, Capra aegagrus hircus, is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of goat.
The presence of a beard is characteristic in goats, while sheep do not possess them.
