Vernacular Name: Rocky Mountain goat
Scientific Name:
Oreamnos americanus
Class:Mammalia Order:Artiodactyla Family:Bovidae
Geographic
Range:
Southern
Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Washington, Idaho,
Montana, South Dakota, and Colorado
Habitat:
Steep cliffs, edges of
glaciers in areas of high snowfall usually above tree line
Physical Characteristics:
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Height ranges from 2.5-3.5 ft. (76-89 cm.) tall at the shoulder.
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Weight between 125-300 lbs. (57-136 kg.).
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Males larger than females.
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Fur, up to 4 in. (10 cm.) thick, is yellowish-white, with a fleecy undercoat
and long guard hairs that elongate into stiff mane and rump patch. Fur
shed in mid-summer.
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Not a true goat, but has a ‘beard' like goats do.
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Both sexes have sharp horns.
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Scent glands are located at the base of the horns is used to mark territory.
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Flexible hooves have a hard outer edge for digging in, and tough rubbery
inner pad for traction. Dewclaws provide added traction.
Adaptations:
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Compact, muscular torso. Rather short legs, poor for running but ideal
for balance.
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Powerful jumpers.
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Can traverse extremely trecherous/rough terrain.
Ecological Niche
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Primary consumer.
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Flexible diet includes over 170 species of grasses, mosses, ferns, shrubs,
flowers, buds, and conifers.
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Diurnal.
Reproduction:
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Males are usually solitary, except during rut in the fall.
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Dominant males vie for females; fights are short, bloody and violent.
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Gestation period – 147-178 days.
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One (occasionally two) kids are born in the Spring.
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Females mature in 2 to 2.5 years usually giving birth every other year.
Predator/Prey Relationship:
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Preyed on by mountain lion, lynx, bear, coyote, wolves, and man.
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Golden eagle preys on young.
Conservation:
Currently
not threatened. Encroachment by man may change this status.
Other information:
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“Goat antelope” related to the Takin and Chamois.
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Native (indigenous) species of Colorado, but had to be reintroduced to
Colorado in 1948.
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Rocky Mountain goats were first transplanted in 1948 to Mount Shavano in
the Collegiate Range
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Colorado current populations are about 1,500 animals in a dozen areas.
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The Rocky Mountain Goat Foundation successfully lobbied the Colorado Wildlife
Commission to declare Oreamnos americanus a native species March
11, 1993.
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More on Rocky Mountain Goats from the National
Wildlife Federation.
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Resource defenders that are ruthlessly territorial when food is scarce.
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Males spray themselves urine and are very malodorous.
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Adult females with a kid dominate males.
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Males defense is evasion. If this doesn’t work, they have thick skin and
fur on their rumps and neck for protection during fights.
Zoo Diet: Hoof
stock pellets and Timothy hay.
Location at Zoo:
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Across from Mountain Outfitters Cabin near the Zoo entrance.
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Come visit two new Rocky Mountain goat kids at the Zoo!
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo wishes to thank the Rocky Mountain
Goat Foundation
for their contributions to this above information and their continued
efforts on behalf
of the Rocky Mountain goat.
