Overview
A medium-sized animal with a short, slab-sided body, humped shoulders and a long, narrow head. The shaggy coat is white or yellowish-white (vanilla) in color, with long underwool, and longer guard hairs that form a stiff mane on the neck and rump, and pantaloons on the thighs. Both sexes have a beard, and the legs are long and heavy. Black scent glands are located behind the horns in both sexes. Both males and females grow short, sharp, black horns. The horns of the female are slimmer, straighter, and less divergent at the tips than those of the male.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus
- Oreamnos
Habitat
Steep slopes, cliffs and glacier edges in alpine areas that have low temperatures and heavy snowfall. Sometimes in nearby meadows and valleys. Distribution- High mountain ranges of northwestern North America, from southern Alaska southward through the Coast Mountains of British Columbia to the Cascades of Washington, and in the Rockies of British Columbia, Alberta, Montana, Idaho and Utah. There are also limited populations in the Yukon, and in the Mackenzie Mountains of the Northwest Territories. Has been introduced on Kodiak, Baranof and Chichagof islands in Alaska; on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington; in northeastern Oregon; in several areas in Montana; in the Black Hills of South Dakota; and in several ranges in Colorado.
Diet
This animal is both a grazer and a browser, feeding on grasses, mosses, lichens, herbs, and woody plants.
Behavior
Social structure is variable, and zoologists differ as to whether males or females are dominant. The sexes seem indifferent to each other except when mating. Nannies and kids are commonly found in herds; billies are solitary or in small bachelor groups. As the mating season approaches, males dig rutting pits that become soaked with urine, and their sides and bellies become stained by the wet soil. Older males can be identified at a considerable distance during the rut by their soiled appearance. Males fight each other for dominance and the right to mate. They do not fight head-to-head, because of their thin facial skin and weak skull; instead they stand head-to-rump and strike with their sharp horns against each others' belly and haunches, often with fatal results. The skin is thickest in the rump area, as much as 7/8 of an inch (22 cm), yet fatalaties are not uncommon. Nannies use their horns to acquire and defend their social position among other females. Mating occurs from November to January, with births in May and June. A single kid is the norm, but twins are common and triplets occasional. The kids stay with their mother until she drives them away when she again gives birth. Maximum life span in the wild is 14 years for males, somewhat longer for females. The mountain goat is an extremely tough, durable animal. The most sure-footed mountaineer of any New World ungulate, it is renowned for its ability to climb and jump in precipitous terrain. Rarely in a hurry, it moves deliberately even when alarmed or threatened, however, can run rather well if necessary. The Mountain goat also swims well, being able to cross large lakes. Active early and late in the day, frequently feeding through the night. Their eyesight is extremely keen and able to detect far-off movement. Hearing and sense of smell are adequate, but are not relied on to the same extent as eyesight.
Hunting
Mountain goats are most easily stalked from above, because it does not usually anticipate danger from that direction. Care should be taken not to shoot one in a place where the brittle horns will be broken from a fall-or to shoot one where it cannot be recovered. When hunting in precipitous areas, ropes and other mountaineering gear should be available.
Conservation Status
Because of its generally inaccessible habitat, the mountain goat has been less directly affected by humans than any other North American big game animal. It has a poor record of survival in zoos.