Mountain Goat Facts and Background Information
Bob & Nancy Ulrich's Outdoor Adventures Online

Finding Mountain Goats in Glacier National Park:  

One of the best places to see mountain goats in their natural habitat is in Glacier National Park, high up in the Rocky Mountains in Montana. True to their name, the mountain goats of Glacier National Park can be found at the very tip top of Glacier National Park in the cliffs and ledges of a place called Logan Pass.

Logan Pass is very high,   6680 feet above sea level. It is at the very  top of a road called "Going to the Sun Highway".  In the winter it gets very very cold, and the snow gets very deep. The mountain goat has a white coat to help them blend into the winter snow, and keep them warm. Their coat has two layers. The top guard hairs help repel wind, water, ice,  and snow. The second layer  is a wooly sub fur that helps to hold heat in. Something like a warm jacket liner on the a winter coat you would wear if you live in a town where it snows.

Mountain Goat Facts (Oreamnos Americanus)

The Mountain Goat is white with black horns, and weighs from 150 pounds to as large as 300 pounds. That is smaller than a pony, but larger than even a Saint Bernard dog. They are 3 to 4 feet tall and  have special hooves and a slender body to help them get around on mountain tops and cliffs ledges. The male and female look alike, as both have horns. The males is bigger and his horn is slightly thicker.  It is hard to tell them apart, unless a baby goat is near by the momma.

They are not actually a goat at all, but a member of the antelope family. Although they live at different elevations, they are found in locations near cliffs and rugged mountain tops. This is one reason people usually don't see them. As you would guess from their scientific name, Oreamnos Americanus, they are native to North American. This is why part of their name is Americanus. Mountain Goats are found in a number of places from Alaska to the Rocky Mountains.

Mountain Goats travel in groups called bands.

Banding  Together. A Band is made of Nanny Goats (Momma and other Female Goats), Baby Goats called Kids, and some younger male goat yearlings. The male goats, or Billies, live off by themselves most of the year. Kid Goats learn fast, and within a week can follow the band up cliffs.

Year Round Horns: Mountain goats have horns that do not fall out like dear. They stay on year round. The horns are black and curve backwards   and grow to 10 to 12 inches in length. Male Mountain goats have slightly thicker horns, but it is difficult to see the difference.

Hooves like hiking boots!  Mountain goat hooves help them climb the rugged cliffs where they live. Their hoof has special soft rubber-like pads underneath a hard outer lining. The pads work like the soles of hiking boots work for people, only better. They allow the mountain goat to quickly climb up the side of a cliff to escape a mountain lion, or other danger.

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