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Animal profile

Mountain goat

Oreamnos americanus

MammaliaAlpine cliff, talus slope and subalpine forest above the treelineLeast Concern

Field profile

The mountain goat is a white, shaggy climber of alpine cliffs, with short black horns in both sexes and a deep chest. It winters on windswept ledges rather than descending far, and spends most of its life on terrain too steep for predators.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-08-25

Mountain goat

The mountain goat is not actually a goat

It is a goat-antelope, closer to the chamois and the serows of Asia than to the genus Capra. Its climbing depends on hooves built like two-part clamps, with a hard outer rim around a soft rubbery pad.

Read with evidence →

Mountain goat | Daily Animal Facts