View source for Mountain goat

{{Short description|Species of mammal}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Mountain goat
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Festa-Bianchet, M. |date=2020 |title=''Oreamnos americanus'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T42680A22153133 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T42680A22153133.en |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref>
| image = Mountain Goat, Enchantments Basin.jpg
| image_caption = Mountain goat in the [[Cascade Range|Cascades]]
| taxon = Oreamnos americanus
| authority = ([[Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville|Blainville]], 1816)
| synonyms = *''Mazama dorsata'' Rafinesque, 1817
*''R[upicapra]. americanus'' de Blainville, 1816
| range_map = Oreamnos americanus distribution.svg
| range_map_caption = 
}}

The '''mountain goat''' ('''''Oreamnos americanus'''''), also known as the '''Rocky Mountain goat''', is a [[Artiodactyla|cloven-footed mammal]] that is [[endemic]] to the remote and rugged mountainous areas of western [[North America]]. A [[subalpine]] to truly [[Alpine tundra|alpine]] species, it is a [[Sure-footedness|sure-footed]] climber commonly seen on sheer rock faces, near-vertical cliffs and icy passages. Mountain goats generally avoid venturing down into lower elevations—except during seasonal food shortages or during particularly bad weather—as the extreme elevation which they inhabit is their primary defense against predators such as [[Ursus americanus|black]] and [[Ursus horribilis|brown bears]], [[Puma concolor|pumas]] and [[Canis lupus|wolves]].

Despite its vernacular name and both genera being in the same subfamily ([[Caprinae]]), the mountain goat is not a member of ''[[Capra (genus)|Capra]]'', the genus that includes all true [[goat]]s (such as the [[wild goat]] (''Capra aegagrus''), from which the domestic goat is derived); rather, it is more closely allied with the other [[Bovidae|bovids]] known as “[[goat-antelope]]s”, including the European [[chamois]] (''Rupicapra''), the [[goral]]s (''Naemorhedus''), the [[takin]]s (''Budorcas'') and the [[serow]]s (''Capricornis''), of Japan and eastern South Asia.

== Classification and evolution ==
The mountain goat is an even-toed [[ungulate]] of the order [[Artiodactyla]] and the family [[Bovidae]] (along with [[antelope]]s, [[gazelle]]s, and [[cattle]]). It belongs to the subfamily [[Caprinae]], along with [[Capra (genus)|true goats]], [[Ovis|wild sheep]], the [[chamois]], the [[muskox]] and other species. The [[takin]]s of the [[Himalaya]]n region, while not a [[sister lineage]] of the mountain goat, are nonetheless very closely related and almost [[coeval]] to the mountain goat; they [[Parallel evolution|evolved in parallel]] from an ancestral goat. Other members of this group are the [[bharal]], the true goats, and the [[Himalayan tahr]]. The sheep lineage is also very closely related, while the muskox lineage is somewhat more distant. The mountain goats probably diverged from their relatives in the late [[Tortonian]], some 7.5 to 8 million years ago.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

Given that all major caprine lineages emerged in the [[Late Miocene]] and contain at least one but usually several species from the eastern Himalayan region, their most likely place of origin is between today's [[Tibet]] and [[Mongolia]] or nearby. The mountain goat's ancestors thus probably crossed the [[Bering Strait]] after they split from their relatives, presumably before the [[Wisconsinian glaciation]]. No [[Pliocene]] mountain goats have been identified yet; the known [[fossil record]] is fairly recent, entirely from North America, and barely differs from the living animals. In the [[Pleistocene]] era, the small prehistoric mountain goat ''[[Oreamnos harringtoni]]'' lived in the southern [[Rocky Mountains]]. [[Ancient DNA]] studies suggest that this was the [[sister species]] of the living mountain goat, not its ancestor; consequently, the living species would also date back to the Pleistocene at least.<ref>Campos et al 2010{{full citation needed|date=April 2020}}</ref><ref>Bibi 2013{{full citation needed|date=April 2020}}</ref>

The mountain goat is the [[monotypic|only living species]] in the genus ''[[Oreamnos]]''. The name ''Oreamnos'' is derived from the Greek term {{linktext|ὄρος}} ''óros'' (stem ''ore-'') meaning "mountain" (or, alternatively, ''oreas'' "mountain nymph") and the word {{linktext|ἀμνός}} ''amnós'' meaning "lamb".

== General appearance and characteristics ==
[[File:Mountain Goat Mount Massive.JPG|thumb|right|Mountain goat on [[Mount Massive]], [[Colorado]], United States]]
Both male and female mountain goats have beards, short tails, and long black horns, {{convert|15|–|28|cm|in|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} in length, which contain yearly growth rings. They are protected from the elements by their woolly greyish white double coats. The fine, dense wool of their undercoats is covered by an outer layer of longer, hollow hairs. Mountain goats molt in spring by rubbing against rocks and trees, with the adult billies shedding their extra wool first and the pregnant nannies shedding last. Their coats help them to withstand winter temperatures as low as {{Convert|-46|C|F|abbr=}} and winds of up to {{Convert|160|km/h|sigfig=2}}.

[[File:Flickr - Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife - 023 mtn goat indian rock paustian odfw.jpg|thumbnail|upright|Close-up of head]]
A male goat stands about {{convert|1|m|ft|abbr=on}} at the shoulder to the waist and can weigh considerably more than the female (around 30% more in some cases). Male goats also have longer horns and longer beards than females. The head-and-body length can range from {{convert|120|–|179|cm|in|abbr=on|sigfig=2}}, with a small tail adding {{convert|10|-|20|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/mountain-goat | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210218103811/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/mountain-goat | url-status= dead | archive-date= February 18, 2021 | title= Mountain Goat. Oreamnos americanus | website= [[NatGeo]] | access-date= December 29, 2007}}</ref><ref name= ADW>[http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Oreamnos_americanus.html Oreamnos americanus]. Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved on 2012-07-24.</ref><ref name="Burnie">Burnie D and Wilson DE (Eds.) (2005). ''Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife''. DK Adult {{ISBN|0-7894-7764-5}}</ref>

The mountain goat's feet are well-suited for climbing steep, rocky slopes with pitches exceeding 60°, with inner pads that provide traction and [[Cloven-hoof|cloven hooves]] that can spread apart. The tips of their feet have sharp [[dewclaw]]s that keep them from slipping. They have powerful shoulder and neck muscles that help propel them up steep slopes.<ref>{{Cite journal| last1= Lewinson|first1=Ryan T.| last2= Stefanyshyn| first2=Darren J.|title=A descriptive analysis of the climbing mechanics of a mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus)|journal= Zoology| volume= 119|issue=6|pages=541–546| doi= 10.1016/j.zool.2016.06.001|pmid=27402383|year=2016|bibcode=2016Zool..119..541L }}</ref> Based on a field recording in the Rocky Mountains of Canada of a mountain goat climbing a 45-degree slope, researchers were able to measure the goat's whole body movement as it climbed. Researchers observed that when the goat propelled itself forward, it extended its back legs and the front legs were tucked close up to its chest during its first phase. During the second phase, the goat raised its back legs near to its chest, while the front leg's humerus stayed locked in a persistent location relative to the goat's chest, therefore allowing the elbow to be detained in close proximity to the whole body's center of balance. Extension of the elbow and carpal joints resulted in a vertical translation of the center of mass up the mountain slope.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lewinson|first1=Ryan|last2=Stefanyshyn|first2=Darren |date=December 2016|title=A descriptive analysis of the climbing mechanics of a mountain goat ( Oreamnos americanus )|journal=Zoology (Jena, Germany)|volume=119|issue=6|pages=541–546|doi=10.1016/j.zool.2016.06.001|pmid=27402383|bibcode=2016Zool..119..541L }}</ref>

== Range and habitat ==
[[File:Mountain goat KNWR.png|thumb|[[Kenai National Wildlife Refuge]], Alaska]]
The mountain goat inhabits the [[Rocky Mountains]] and [[Cascade Range]] and other mountain regions of the [[Western Cordillera (North America)|Western Cordillera]] of North America, from [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[Idaho]] and [[Montana]] through [[British Columbia]] and [[Alberta]], into the southern [[Yukon]] and southeastern [[Alaska]]. British Columbia contains half of the world's population of mountain goats.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mtngoat|url=https://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/documents/mtngoat.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj5rPbzudb2AhUIFzQIHU2XAsMQFnoECAUQBg&usg=AOvVaw0bfJPgk8FUOLxnutFmOthu| work= bc.gov.ca| publisher= [[BC Parks]] |access-date=20 March 2022}}<</ref> Its northernmost range is said to be along the northern fringe of the [[Chugach Mountains]] in south-central Alaska. Introduced populations can also be found in such areas as [[Idaho]], [[Wyoming]], [[Utah]], [[Nevada]], [[Oregon]], [[Colorado]], [[South Dakota]], and the [[Olympic Peninsula]] of Washington.

Mountain goats are the largest mammals found in their high-altitude [[habitat]]s, which can exceed elevations of {{cvt|13,000|ft|sigfig=2}}. They sometimes descend to sea level in coastal areas although they are primarily an [[alpine climate|alpine]] and [[subalpine]] species. The animals usually stay above the [[tree line]] throughout the year but they will migrate seasonally to higher or lower elevations within that range. Winter migrations to low-elevation [[Salt lick|mineral licks]] often take them several kilometers through forested areas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mountain Goats| url= https://www.nps.gov/noca/learn/nature/mountain-goats.htm| work= nps.gov| publisher= [[National Park Service]] |access-date=21 October 2010}}</ref>

== Movement patterns ==
[[File:Oreamnos americanus 21073.JPG|thumb|In the [[Cascade Range]], [[Mount Rainier National Park]], near the southwestern limit of their distribution]]
Daily movements by individual mountain goats are primarily confined to areas on the same mountain face, [[drainage basin]], or alpine opening. Daily movements reflect an individual's needs for foraging, resting, [[thermoregulation]] and security from predators or disturbance. Seasonal movements primarily reflect nutritional needs (such as movements to and from [[Mineral lick|mineral licks/salt lick]]), reproductive needs (in other words, movement of pre-parturient females to "kidding" areas; movement to rutting areas), and climatic influences (including movement to areas in response to foraging conditions). In general, seasonal movements are likely to exhibit a strong elevational component, whereby lower, forested elevations are used during the spring-summer (security cover effects) to access lower elevation mineral licks, and during winter (thermal cover effects) to access forage. The farthest movements are expected to be by dispersing mountain goats. Such movements are likely to involve mountain goats crossing forested valleys as they move between mountain blocks.

== Diet ==
[[File:Mountain goat - artificial salt lick.jpg|thumb|upright|Young mountain goat licking handrail for salt]]
Mountain goats are herbivores and spend most of their time grazing. Their diets include [[grass]]es, [[herb]]s, [[Cyperaceae|sedges]], [[fern]]s, [[moss]]es, [[lichen]]s, and twigs and leaves from the low-growing shrubs and [[conifer]]s of their high-altitude habitat.

[[File:Mountain goat at Mount Rushmore National Memorial.jpg|thumbnail|A mountain goat grazing at [[Mount Rushmore]], [[South Dakota]]]]
In captivity, the mountain goat's diet can also include grain, [[alfalfa]], fruits, vegetables and [[grass]].

== Life cycle and mating ==
{{more citations needed section|date=December 2013}}
[[File:Milwaukee Public Museum April 2023 048 (Rocky Mountains--Above Timberline).jpg|thumb|A taxidermied mountain goat at the [[Milwaukee Public Museum]]]]
In the wild, mountain goats usually live 12{{nbsp}}to{{nbsp}}15 years, with their lifespans limited by the wearing down of their teeth. In zoos, however, they can live for 16-20{{nbsp}}years.
[[File:Mountain goat kid.jpg|thumb|Mountain goat kid at Cawridge, Alberta]]
Mountain goats reach sexual maturity at about 30 months.<ref>{{cite book | first= D. | last= Chadwick | year= 1983 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=SMnXTHE5iWMC | title= A Beast the Color of Winter – The Mountain Goat Observed | publisher= [[Sierra Club Books]] | place= San Francisco| isbn= 0803264216| via= Google Books}}</ref> Nannies in a herd undergo synchronized [[estrus]] in late October through early December, at which time females and males participate in a mating ritual. Mature billies stare at nannies for long periods, dig rutting pits, and fight each other in showy (though occasionally dangerous) scuffles. Nannies often ignore young billies, who try to participate but are discounted in favor of older partners.  Both females and males usually mate with multiple individuals during breeding season, although some billies try to keep other males away from certain nannies. After the breeding season is over, females and males move away from each other. Nannies form loose-knit nursery groups of up to 50 animals. The adult billies leave, often alone or with two or three other billies.

[[File:Wherever you go I will go.JPG|thumb|right|Mountain goat with kid in [[Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park]]]]
Kids are born in the spring (late May or early June) after a six-month gestation period. Nannies give birth, usually to a single offspring, after moving to an isolated ledge; ''post partum'', they lick the kid dry and ingest the [[placenta]]. Kids weigh a little over {{cvt|3|kg}} at birth and begin to run and climb (or attempt to do so) within hours. Although lactation is mostly finished at one month, kids follow their mothers closely for the first year of life (or until the nanny gives birth again, if this does not occur the next breeding season); nannies protect their young by leading them out of danger, standing over them when faced by predators, and positioning themselves below their kids on steep slopes to stop freefalls.

== Aggressive behavior ==
Nannies can be very competitive and protective of their space and food sources. They fight with one another for dominance in conflicts that can ultimately include all the nannies in the herd.  In these battles, nannies circle each other with their heads lowered, displaying their horns. These conflicts can occasionally lead to injury or death, but are usually harmless. To avoid fighting, an animal may show a posture of nonaggression by stretching low to the ground.

In regions below the tree line, nannies use their fighting abilities to protect themselves and their offspring from predators. Predators, including [[Gray wolf|wolves]], [[wolverine]]s, [[Canadian lynx|lynx]]es, and [[bear]]s, attack goats of most ages given the opportunity. The [[cougar]], or mountain lion, is perhaps the primary predator, being powerful enough to overwhelm the largest adults and uniquely nimble enough to navigate the rocky ecosystem of the goats. Though their size protects them from most potential predators in higher altitudes, nannies must sometimes defend their young from both [[bald eagle|bald]] and [[golden eagle]]s,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hamel |first1=Sandra |last2=Côté |first2=Steeve D.|title=Maternal defensive behavior of mountain goats against predation by Golden Eagles |journal=Western North American Naturalist |date=2009|volume=69|issue=1|pages=115–118|url=http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan/vol69/iss1/13|language=en|issn=1527-0904 |doi=10.3398/064.069.0103|s2cid=28259274|hdl=20.500.11794/69862|hdl-access=free}}</ref> which can be a predatory threat to kids.<ref name= ADW /> Nannies have even been observed trying to dominate the more passive, but often heavier [[bighorn sheep]] that share some of their territory. In 2021, a mountain goat gored a [[grizzly bear]] to death in [[Yoho National Park]], [[British Columbia]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://wildlife.org/mountain-goat-gores-grizzly-to-death-in-british-columbia/|title=Mountain goat gores grizzly to death in British Columbia |date=21 September 2021}}</ref>

Mountain goats introduced in the 1920s into Washington’s [[Olympic Mountains]] were in time found to be a nuisance there, in particular while seeking human urine and sweat for its salt content, the park lacking natural [[salt licks]], and even aggressively approaching human visitors.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bush |first=Evan |date=2024-05-22 |title=Mountain goats were flown to a new home in Washington, but few survived |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/mountain-goats-washington-flown-cascades-died-rcna153090 |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref> One such goat killed a hiker in 2010.<ref>[http://www.seattlepi.com/local/428578_hiker17.html Hiker killed by mountain goat in Olympic Nat'l. Park]. [[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] (2010-10-16). Retrieved on 2011-09-15.</ref> Officials finally chose to eradicate them from the [[Olympic Peninsula]], removing hundreds, mostly by capturing them and relocating them to the [[Cascade Range|Cascade Mountains]].<ref>[https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/mountain-goat-capture-and-translocation.htm]. www.nps.gov (2021-9-29). Retrieved on 2022-5-24.</ref>

== Wool ==
{{Further|Salish weaving#Mountain goat's wool}}
Although mountain goats have never been [[domestication|domesticated]] and [[commercialization|commercialized]] for their [[wool]], [[pre-Columbian]] [[indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast]] did incorporate their wool into their [[Chilkat weaving|weaving]] by collecting spring [[Moulting|moulted]] wool left by wild goats.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.env.gov.yk.ca/wildlifebiodiversity/mammals/goat.php#people |title=Mountain Goat |access-date=2011-10-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425021506/http://www.env.gov.yk.ca/wildlifebiodiversity/mammals/goat.php#people |archive-date=2012-04-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Threats ==
[[Avalanche|Avalanches]] can constitute 23-65% of Alaskan mountain goat mortality depending on the region.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=White |first1=Kevin S. |last2=Hood |first2=Eran |last3=Wolken |first3=Gabriel J. |last4=Peitzsch |first4=Erich H. |last5=Bühler |first5=Yves |last6=Wikstrom Jones |first6=Katreen |last7=Darimont |first7=Chris T. |date=2024-04-29 |title=Snow avalanches are a primary climate-linked driver of mountain ungulate populations |journal=Communications Biology |language=en |volume=7 |issue=1 |page=423 |doi=10.1038/s42003-024-06073-0 |pmid=38684895 |issn=2399-3642|pmc=11058775 }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* A. W. F. Banfield (1974). ''The Mammals of Canada''. University of Toronto Press. {{ISBN|0-8020-2137-9}}
* M. Festa-Bianchet and S.D. Côté (2008). "Mountain Goats: Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation of an Alpine Ungulate". Island Press. {{ISBN|978-1-59726-170-8}}. 265 p.

== External links ==
{{Commons|Oreamnos americanus|mountain goat}}
*Loyal J. Johnson (1994) [http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/pubs/notebook/biggame/mtn_goat.php Alaska Department of Fish & Game]
*[http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/animals/mammal/oram/all.html US Forest Service – ''Oreamnos americanus'']

{{Artiodactyla|R.3}}
{{North American Game}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q242602}}
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[[Category:Mammals described in 1816]]
[[Category:Caprids]]
[[Category:Fauna of the Rocky Mountains]]
[[Category:Fauna of the Western United States]]
[[Category:Mammals of Canada]]
[[Category:Mammals of the United States]]
[[Category:Native American cuisine]]