Angora goat
The Angora or Ankara is a Turkish breed of domesticated goat. It produces the lustrous fibre known as mohair. It is widespread in many countries of the world. Many breeds derive from it, among them the Indian Mohair, the Soviet Mohair, the Angora-Don of the Russian Federation and the Pygora in the United States. History. The origin of the Angora is not known. The earliest Western description may be that published in 1555 by Pierre Belon, who while travelling from Heraclea to Konya in southern Turkey had seen goats with snow-white "... wool so delicate that one  would judge it finer than silk ...". Angora goats were depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 50 lira banknotes of 1938–1952. The first Angora goats were brought to Europe by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, about 1554, but, like later imports, were not very successful. In 1960 there were over 6 million Angora goats in Turkey; the population subsequently dropped sharply. In 2004 the total goat population of the country was approximately 7.2 million; of these, just over 5% were of Angora stock, while the remainder were hair goats. A conservation programme for the Angora was established in 2003. Characteristics . The Angora is a moderately small goat, standing about at the withers. It is slender, elegant and light-framed; the head is small, with semi-lop ears. It is usually horned; in billies the horns are commonly twisted, long and strong. With the exception of the face and legs, the animal is entirely covered in a coat of long ringlets of fine and lustrous mohair. This is not goat hair as seen on other breeds, but the down or undercoat which, in this breed only, grows much longer than the outer hair coat. The face and coat are normally white , but – particularly in southern Turkey – black, brown and grey animals also occur. Use. The fleece taken from an Angora goat is called mohair. A single goat produces between four and five kilograms of hair per year. Angoras are shorn twice a year. Turkey, Argentina, the United States, and South Africa are the top producers of mohair.