Common Name: Rocky Mountain goat
Scientific Name: Oreamnos americanus
At the zoo: Nita (female, 6y), and CJ (female, 4y), Cypress (female, 5y), Niagara (female, 5y), Sprout (male, 5y), and Winston (male, 5y); you can find them on the centre road in the middle of the zoo.
Habitat:
Native to western Canada and United States, they prefer steep rocky cliffs in alpine or sub-alpine regions. They migrate between lowland areas in the winter to high elevations in the summer.
Diet:
Grasses, herbaceous and woody plants, mosses, lichens, bark
Median Life Expectancy:
12 years
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Biology:
They are stout-bodied with a thick white coat and short black horns that are present in both sexes. They have large oval hooves that have an almost rubber-like sole which aids them on the steep rocky terrain. They tend to form larger groups in the winter and are a bit more solitary in the summer. Males are dominant during the breeding season but are submissive to females and juveniles the rest of the year.
Rocky Mountain Goat populations are considered stable, in part because their habitat is not very accessible to humans. They are sensitive to human encroachment when it does occur though as the presence of helicopters and snowmobiles are known to cause major disturbances, including the breaking up of herds and nanny-kid separations.
Fun Fact:
Did you know Rocky Mountain Goats are protected in eight National Parks?
