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.

The popularity of goat characters increased with the release of Undertale in 2015, however, the species of the main caprine-like characters (Toriel, Asriel, and Asgore) should be tagged as boss monster and not goats.