They don't faint; they just seize up

Alan and Sharon Reeves of Mobile run R Fainting Farm, where they raise fainting goats, a.k.a. "myotonic goats," "wooden leg goats" and "stiff leg" goats.

These rare goats, native to the United States, don't really faint, but they do tend to painlessly fall over when excited, because of a muscle condition called myotonia congenita -- hence "myotonic goats."

How this muscle condition works is explained by Dr. D. Phillip Sponenberg at the website of the International Fainting Goat Association.

There are fewer than 10,000 fainting goats in the world, but Alabama has its share. The Fainting Goat Directory at GoatFinder.com -- yes, you can find everything online -- lists among breeders not only the Reeveses but also Douglas Helms of Louisville, Ala.

If you know of other fainting goat breeders in the state, let us know. Maybe one day they'll become so numerous they won't even count as a curiosity anymore.