The energy costs of walking on the level and on negative and positive slopes in the Granadina goat (Copra hircus)

The energy expenditure of six goats averaging 35 (SE 0-3) kg was measured when the animals were standing or walking on a treadmill enclosed in a confinement-type respiration chamber at different speeds (0167, 0-333 and 0-500 m/s) and slopes ( - 10, - 5, 0, + 5 and +10 %). The energy costs of locomotion, estimated from the coefficients of linear regressions of heat production (HP) per kg body weight v. distance travelled were 1-91, 2-33,3-35,4-68 and 6-44 J/kg BW per m for - 10, - 5, 0, + 5 and +10 % inclines respectively, indicating that the energy expenditure of walking over standing changes with slope according to a slightly curvilinear relationship. The energy cost of raising 1 kg body weight one vertical metre was found to be 31-7 J, giving an average efficiency for upslope locomotion of 30-9 %. The energy recovered on vertical descent was estimated as 13-2 J/kg per m, indicating an efficiency of the energy recovered above the theoretical maximum.