Mountain goat is a white, woolly animal that lives on steep cliffs high in the mountains of western North America. The animal roams across mountains in Alaska, western Canada, and Montana, Idaho, and Washington. The mountain goat is a type of goat antelope. It looks more like a goat than an antelope but is only distantly related to true goats and sheep.
Mountain goats
Most mountain goats stand from 3 to 4 feet (90 to 120 centimeters) tall at the shoulder. The males are larger than the females. Thick underfur and a long, hairy, white overcoat protect the mountain goat against severe winds and bitter cold in the winter months. Both females and males have short, powerful legs with large black hoofs and are sure-footed climbers. The billy (male) has slender horns that may measure as much as 1 foot (30 centimeters) long. The horns of the nanny (female) may be slightly longer. The female uses her horns to defend herself and her young from predators. Adult females dominate males and can force even large males to leave an area.
The billy usually lives alone except during the mating season in November. The nanny’s gestation (pregnancy) period lasts about six months. She gives birth in the spring to a single kid or, occasionally, to twins. Nannies and their kids live in groups during the summer and by themselves in their territory during winter. Unlike other large mountain mammals, mountain goats remain in the high mountains all year long, even in winter. The animals eat grasses, sedges, lichens, and the leaves and twigs of shrubs.
