Species: Oreamnos americanus
Mountain Goat
Species
Show on Lists
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Artiodactyla
Family
Bovidae
Genus
Oreamnos
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
chèvre de montagne
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Mammals - Other Mammals
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Mammalia - Artiodactyla - Bovidae - Oreamnos - See Georgiadis et al. (1991) for a phylogeny of the Bovidae based on allozyme divergence among 27 species. See Kraus and Miyamoto (1991) for a phylogenetic analysis of pecoran ruminants (Cervidae, Bovidae, Moschidae, Antilocapridae, and Giraffidae) based on mitochondrial DNA data.
Ecology and Life History
Migration
false - true - false - In some locations may migrate up and down mountains between summer and winter activity areas (Rideout and Hoffmann 1975); in Montana, summer and winter ranges were a maximum of 2.2 km apart (Singer and Doherty 1985). May travel some distance to salt licks in spring and summer.
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
true
Food Comments
Grazes on grasses and forbs in summer, also browses shrubs and conifers. Winter diet often variable; may feed on mosses and lichens, as well as grasses, shrubs and conifers.
Reproduction Comments
Rut takes place in November. Gestation lasts about 178 days (Banfield 1974). One (sometimes 2, occasionally 3) precocial kids born late May or early June. In Washington and Colorado, sexually mature in about 2 years, though in some areas some yearling females may breed. In Alberta, females produced their first young at 4-5 years; about 70-80% of adult females produced young in a given year (Festa-Bianchet et al. 1994). See Bailey (1991) for information on factors that affect reproductive success in Colorado.
Ecology Comments
Adult females and young may form small groups in summer. Males often solitary (sometimes in male groups), join female groups in fall. Annual home range in different areas of Montana was 6-24 sq km (Singer and Doherty 1985). <br><br>In Alberta, survival of young to 1 year averaged 60%; most deaths occurred in fall; predation by mountain lions, wolves, and grizzly bears was a major source of mortality (Festa-Bianchet et al. 1994).
Length
179
Weight
136000
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
1996-11-19
Global Status Last Changed
1996-11-19
Other Status
LC - Least concern
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.AB=S3&CA.BC=S4&CA.NT=S2&CA.YT=S3&US.AK=S4&US.CO=SE&US.ID=S2&US.MT=S4&US.NV=SE&US.OR=SE&US.SD=SE&US.UT=SE&US.WA=S2&US.WY=SE" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
Mountains of northwestern North America from southeast Alaska to Washington, western Montana and southern Idaho. Introduced in Colorado, Oregon, Olympic Peninsula of Washington, and South Dakota.