Monday, July 18, 2016

Rocky Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus)

Rocky Mountain goat or mountain goats are native to the Cascade Mountains in central Washington, as well as other area of western Canada and the United States. It was introduce to the Southern Rocky Mountains by the Colorado Division of Wildlife beginning in 1949.

The Rocky Mountain goat is not a true goat but one of the so-called goat-antelopes closely related to the chamois, Rupicapra rupicapra of Eurasia. With its short neck, large head and pure white coat, it looks more like a domestic animal than a wild species.

Rocky Mountain goats prefer steep rocky slopes above 6000 feet in elevation, although they use lower elevation areas periodically during winter.

The subfamily Caprinae include all true mountain-dwelling ungulates, characterized by high developed climbing skills, reliance on cliffs or steep terrain to escape predation, presence of horns in both sexes and for most species a complex seasonal pattern of home range use.
Rocky Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus)

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