A 'geep' – the offspring of a goat and a sheep – has been born in the republic of Ireland.

County Kildare farmer Paddy Murphy said the nimble little animal, who is now two weeks old, quick on his feet and already appears to be growing horns, is "like a deer". Paddy added, "We’ll try to keep it for as long as we can, but if it becomes a nuisance it’ll have to be got rid of… he’s an unusual character."

The geep is thought to be the result of a goat mating with one of the farmer's Cheviot ewes. The farmer claimed he thought he saw a goat mating with a ewe during tupping at the end of 2013, but said the birth was nevertheless a "pure shock to the system" in an interview with the BBC.

A video of Paddy with the young geep.

Although goats and sheep have been known to mate and produce offspring, it is exceptionally rare for the hybrids to survive, owing to the fact that sheep and goats are genetically dissimilar. Goats and sheep belong to different genera (the biological rank above species); the two represent capra and ovis respectively, and have different numbers of chromosones.