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)

North American Porcupine

Porcupines rank among the world’s most widely recognized animals. Among local rodents, porcupines are second in size only to the beaver. The animals appear even larger and heavier than they actually are because of the abundant pelage.

Porcupines belong to two separate families of the Hystricomorph suborder of rodents. One family, the Erethizontidae, lives in the New World – North and South America. There are five genera of Erethizontidae. The other family, the Hystricidae, lives in the Old World – Eurasia and Africa.

Scientific name for North American porcupine: Erethizon dorsatum. The North American porcupine occurs from Alaska and Canada southward to northern Mexico. In the United States, the animals are present in all forested regions except the Southeast.

The porcupine is adapted to a variety of habitats. It is largely an inhabitant of forested areas in the West and prefers rocky areas. They are expert at climbing trees, although their movements are slow, methodical and seemingly awkward.

Although the bulk of their species range coincides with coniferous forest, porcupines inhabit a variety of other habitats including mixed forests.

Habitat use generally refers seasonal and vegetation changes, and also may be educated by activities including foraging predator avoidance and resting or sleeping.
North American Porcupine