A goat and a turtle of 400 years ago

As reported by Carusi in his article Le Transumanze Millennarie e la Capra della Valnerina (2019), a straight nasal profile, erect ears, always projected forward and never pending, flat and lyre shaped horns, robust and thick skin are all «archaic» morphological features associated with a goat typology that has been ever-present in central Italy. On the contrary, the hanging or semi-hanging ears, a convex nasal profile, the horns —if present— of circular section and/or oriented backwards, a thinner skin, etc. are all characteristics that some scholars associate with that goat typology found not only in the southernmost Italian regions, but also in other Mediterranean countries, as well as in Africa.  

Carusi has suggested that, since the 17th century, these «southern breeds» made their way into central Italy and further North, and —as a result— they began bringing changes within the autochthonous goat population. Very probably, from the first years of the twentieth century, crosses among different goat breeds have progressively increased, giving rise to specimens with hanging ears and, sometimes, with small or medium horns, twisted backwards. 

An old painting by artist Paolo Porpora suggests that since 1600, specimens with these characteristics were already presented in the Neapolitan area. Therefore, it is possible that, over time, contacts between southern Apennine breeds and other typologies of goats had intensified, giving rise to individuals with mixed characteristics that can be presently found in southern Lazio. It is likely that the white monticellana  goat is, indeed, one of the outcomes of such crossbreeding.