Cashmere goat
The cashmere goat is a phenotype of the domestic goat , which is one of the wool goats. The cashmere goat is defined by the mean diameter of the undercoat of less than 19 micrometers. In the area of origin of the Himalayas and Pamir as well as their peripheral areas, this floppy-eared and horned goat occurs in the colors gray, white, black and brown. In Europe, almost exclusively white animals are bred, as the white wool can be colored as desired.
Cashmere goats, of which there are around 20 subtypes, are characterized by a long, fine undercoat . The cashmere wool is much finer than the thinnest sheep's wool and is one of the finest animal hair (to the other species with unusually fine wool count of the musk ox and the vicuna ).
The animals are sheared in the industrialized countries, otherwise the undercoat is plucked or combed out. Between 150 and 200 grams of wool per animal can be obtained annually. The world's largest producer of cashmere wool is China . Large cashmere farms can also be found in Australia and New Zealand . In Europe is Scotland leader.
See also
literature
- Hans Hinrich Sambraus; Color Atlas of Livestock Breeds , Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3219-2