Rocky Mountain Goats
Rock climbing never looked this easy
With cloven hooves and two toes that spread wide for balance, Rocky Mountain goats are climbing champions, able to reach precipitous heights and scale narrow ledges. They have long, warm coats to keep them warm in their mountainous homes, and even grow distinctive beards. This species lives in small herds, largely made up of females (nannies) and their young (kids), while males (billies) live alone or with a few other males until mating season.
- IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (at relatively low risk of extinction)
- Type: Mammal
- Habitat: Rocky Mountain range of Canada and the United States
- Diet: Herbivore – grasses, mosses, and flowering plants
- Size: 1 metre at the shoulder
- Weight: 45 to 136 kilograms
facts about our animals
Fun Facts about Rocky Mountain Goats
A Rocky Mountain goat’s hooves have rough pads for better grip.
They can jump almost 3.6 metres in a single leap.
Both males and females have horns.
They are the largest mammal in high altitude environments.
Rocky Mountain goats are more closely related to bighorn sheep, Japanese serow, and the musk ox than they are to domestic goats.
After 22 months, you can tell a Rocky Mountain goat’s age by counting the rings on its horns.
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