mountain Goat

 

 

 

Hi, I am a…

 

                                                                   Mountain Goat

My real name is…                                                                    

                                        

                                      Oreamnos Americanus

 

I live on…                    

 

                                      Steep cliffs high in the snowy mountains of North America. Rocky, mountainous areas above timberline. Natural range: extremes Alaska's Yukon, British Columbia, SW Alberta, parts of Washington, N Idaho, and NW Montana. Introduced successfully in Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota. British Columbia's population is by far the largest at approximately 100,000.

 

I look like…          

 

                                Thick, snow-white, poofy long coat of hair, black horns 6-10 inches Long. A relatively small bovid. Compact, short-legged body. Yellowish-white fur, long and shaggy in winter, shorter in summer; beard, dagger-like horns. The males start to shed their coat in June and continue shedding until mid-July; the females do not complete their molt until mid-August. It is possible to tell the age of the mountain goat by counting the rings on the horns. The first ring is forms at the age of 22-24 months, and an additional ring is then added each spring. Length of head and body 50-70 inches; shoulder height up to 40 inches; weight 176-308 pounds.

 

My behavior is…

 

                            The Mountain Goat is not a true goat. Its "beard" is not the true chin beard of male goats, but an extension of a throat mane. The Mountain Goat is active in morning and evening and sometimes during moonlit nights. It's hooves are well adapted for rocky peaks, with a sharp outer rim that grips and a rubbery sole that provides traction on steep or smooth surfaces. Traversing peaks and narrow ledges at a stately walk or trot, a Mountain Goat may seem to move across the face of an almost sheer cliff. However, individuals have been known to miss their footing and fall to their deaths. On warm days, the animal will bed on a patch of snow, in a shady spot, or on a mountain ledge. It lives in small flocks, but tends to be solitary in summer and autumn. In the mating season the males rub the glands that are behind their horns against trees; they also use urine to mark their territory.

 

 

 

                                 

 

 

My reproduction is like…

 

                              Mates mid-November through mid-December; gestation 6 months. 1-3 young born mid-May through mid-June. The sexes herd apart until rutting season, usually in November of December. While rival males frequently threaten each other, breeding battles are uncommon, as skulls and horns are relatively fragile.

 

 

                                

 

                              

Caring for my young is like…

 

                                   The kid, usually born on a mountain ledge, can stand and climb shortly after birth. It starts feeding within a few days of birth, but weaning is not complete until August or September. The kid remains with its mother until the next year's young is born.

 

 

 

 

             

 

 

Other interesting facts about me…

 

                                    Avalanches and rock slides are the greatest killers of Mountain Goats, accounting for many more deaths than predation. Only the golden eagle can attack this species in high mountains; it may try to drive a kid over a cliff. Carnivores such as the Mountain Lion may attack the Mountain Goat as it descends into a valley, but the goat's sharp hooves make it dangerous prey.