The Bessbok, better known as the Berry Goat, is a creature that was created via the combined efforts of the brightest halfling and gnomish wizards from around the world in ages long past using magic that is somewhat considered unethical in modern times. Despite their arguably dubious beginnings, the Berry Goat became a widespread domestic farm animal across many nations due to their regional variety and ability to photosynthesize, granting them extra longevity in times of crop failure or famine.
These berry goats average around 3 to 4 feet tall when full grown. Their bodies are covered in the leaves of whatever berry they grow, except for their neck, face, and legs. They typically have a small bunch of much larger leaves on the top of their head (usually between the horns) that do not grow fruit and are solely for collecting sunlight. The "fur" beneath the leafy growth is more akin to moss, which helps keep the creatures well hydrated and cool in the heat, but will become more dry and act like insulating wool in colder climates. It's not impossible to create fibers for weaving/yarn/etc with the leaves and moss, but the process is tedious and labor intensive, so most farmers only use it for compost and tinder.
Both male and female bessbok grow horns, but males typically do not produce fruit at all. There are rare cases where berries will grow on a male, but the crop yield is sparse at best and the berries usually get unnoticed in their dense leafy coats or get knocked off and trampled during mating displays. Female bessbok will produce fruit in abundance once they're kids are old enough to wean from milk. Moreover, the milk of bessbok always has a slight fruity flavoring to it, matching the type of berry that grows on its body. The type of berry that grows in a herd is largely dependent on the lineage of the location. While they can travel to other climates and still produce with the right care, berry goats thrive in the climates where their berries would also typically thrive.
The miracle of magic that these creatures are, it still amazes even modern scholars that berry goats can reproduce at all. By all measurable metrics, they operate just like any other domestic livestock. Aside from the photosynthesis, they also eat and drink like a typical goat. They will often eat the leaves and berries off each other's coats, but can also be happy with other types of vegan feed and even vegan composts. Feeding them with other types of food allows for collecting more of the berries for personal or commercial use. While there are no truly wild berry goats in the world, there are occasional colonies of strays in favorable climates.
Across the world, berry goats produce many different types of berries. Most are true berries, with only two varieties being aggregate fruits; the cloudberry and the salmonberry. It's unknown if any new fruits could be produced without the use of dubious magical experimentation, so the calculated total seems to be somewhere around 15 to 18 types of berries. The different types by latest census is as thus:
