Mammals · Artiodactyla · Bovidae

Mountain Goat

Oreamnos americanus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

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It lives on steep rocky ground and alpine and subalpine cliffs of north-western North America.

Weight

45 kg – 140 kg

Size

1.4 m – 1.6 m

Lifespan

12 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Herd

Lives in large groups as a strategy against predators.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

MountainHerbivore Diurnal In herds Mountain Mammal

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Fun facts

It eats high-mountain grasses, lichens, mosses and shrubs.
It first breeds at 4 to 5 years in some populations, later than most bovids.
It can climb near-vertical ground on specialised hooves.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Steep rocky ground and alpine and subalpine cliffs of north-western North America
Birth weight: Born precocial, able to follow its mother soon after birth
Size at birth: Born precocial
Sexual maturity: ~2 years (though in Alberta the first young come at 4-5 years)
Gestation / incubation: 175-180 days (~6 months)
Litter / clutch size: 1 young per birth (2-3 on rare occasions)
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of up to 20.8 years

Sources consulted: NatureServe Explorer; Ultimate Ungulate; Natural History on the Net; Animal Diversity Web; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Animalia.bio; Wikipedia (Mountain goat)