Introductory
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Oreamnos americanus | Mountain Goat 



ABBREVIATION : 
ORAM

COMMON NAMES : 
   mountain goat
   Rocky Mountain goat
   white buffalo


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name for the mountain goat is Oreamnos
americanus (Blainville) [5,10].  The four recognized subspecies are
listed below [10]:

     O. americanus ssp. americanus
     O. americanus ssp. columbiae Hollister
     O. americanus ssp. kennedyi Elliot
     O. americanus ssp. missoulae J. A. Allen


ORDER : 
Artiodactyla

CLASS : 
Mammal

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
Julie L. Tesky, August 1993.


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
NO-ENTRY


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Tesky, Julie L. 1993. Oreamnos americanus. In: Remainder of Citation

WILDLIFE DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Oreamnos americanus | Mountain Goat 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Mountain goats historically were found in rugged coastal and mountainous
areas of western North America from southeastern Alaska to south-central
Washington.  They ranged as far south as central Idaho and east to
western Alberta and Montana.  The mountain goat is still found
throughout its historical range.  Additionally, transplant programs
initiated as early as 1920 have expanded the range of mountain goats
both in states where goats historically occurred and in states outside
their natural range.  Mountain goats have been successfully introduced
in Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota [5].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES22 Western white pine
FRES23 Fir-spruce
FRES24 Hemlock-Sitka spruce
FRES26 Lodgepole pine
FRES28 Western hardwoods
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES37 Mountain meadows
FRES44 Alpine


STATES : 


    
AK
    
CO
    
ID
    
MT
    
NE
    
OR
    
SD
    
UT
    
WA
    
WY






    
AB
    
BC
	
SK
    




BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
    1  Northern Pacific Border
    2  Cascade Mountains
    8  Northern Rocky Mountains
   15  Black Hills Uplift


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
   K001  Spruce - cedar - hemlock forest
   K002  Cedar - hemlock - Douglas-fir forest
   K003  Silver fir - Douglas-fir forest
   K004  Fir - hemlock forest
   K008  Lodgepole pine - subalpine forest
   K013  Cedar - hemlock - pine forest
   K012 Douglas-fir forest
   K015  Western spruce - fir forest
   K020  Spruce - fir - Douglas-fir forest
   K050  Fescue - wheatgrass
   K063  Foothills prairie
   K052  Alpine meadows and barren


SAF COVER TYPES : 
   205  Mountain hemlock
   206  Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
   208  Whitebark pine
   210  Interior Douglas-fir
   215  Western white pine
   217  Aspen
   218  Lodgepole pine
   223  Sitka spruce
   224  Western hemlock
   225  Western hemlock - Sitka spruce
   226  Coastal true fir - hemlock
   227  Western redcedar - western hemlock
   228  Western redcedar
   229  Pacific Douglas-fir
   230  Douglas-fir - western hemlock


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
Mountain goats inhabit high-elevation tundra, grassy slopes, and alpine
and subalpine meadows intermixed with forest.  These communities are
often dominated by grasses, sedges (Carex spp.), rushes (Juncus spp.),
sagebrush (Artemisa spp.), huckleberry (Vaccinum ssp.) and other high-
elevation shrubs and forbs.  Forest communities in which mountian goats
occur have been listed in the Kuchler Plant Associations and SAF Cover
Types [4,8,11,17].


REFERENCES : 
NO-ENTRY

BIOLOGICAL DATA AND HABITAT REQUIREMENTS
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Oreamnos americanus | Mountain Goat 



TIMING OF MAJOR LIFE HISTORY EVENTS : 
Age at sexual maturity - Mountain goats generally breed when they are
2.5 years old [3,16].

Breeding season - The breeding season of mountain goats is from October
through early December.  Mountain goats are polygamous [5,18].

Gestation - The gestation period is 180 days.  Mountain goats generally
give birth to only one kid per year, but twins are not uncommon [5].
Kids are born in May through June [18].

Development of kids - At about 6 weeks of age mountain goats begin to
forage near their mothers.  Weaning occurs in August and September [5].

Life span - Mountain goats may live 12 years or more in the wild [18].


PREFERRED HABITAT : 
Mountain goats inhabit rugged terrain comprised of cliffs, ledges,
projecting pinnacles, and talus slopes.  Mountain goat range is
associated with areas having well-defined glaciation at elevations
between 5,000 and 11,000 feet (1,524-3,353 m).  Goats usually remain at
or above timberline and within reach of rocky outcrops.  Deep snows
frequently force them to lower elevations.  In general, moutain goats
make use of higher elevations during summer and lower ones in winter [5].

In Montana, mountain goat habitat can be divided into four major groups:
grassy slide-rock slopes, ridgetops, alpine meadows, and timber.
Grassy slide-rock slopes are major use areas in spring, summer, and fall.
Alpine meadows are frequented most from July through August.  Timber
areas are utilized during summer and fall by single goats and by nannies
in spring prior to parturition [5].

Winter range - Mountain goat winter ranges are characterized by a lack
of persistent or melt-crusted snow along cliffs, and steep terrain
interspersed with vegetation.  Suitable winter ranges may be at lower
elevations where snow is less abundant and persistent, or on relatively
unforested, steep, mostly south-facing slopes where snow sheds rapidly.
Mountain goats use those portions of winter ranges on slopes exceeding
40 degrees [3].  At low elevations, particularly near the Pacific Coast,
a conifer canopy may benefit wintering mountain goats by intercepting
and redistributing snow and by providing forage. In contrast, goats
wintering on interior ranges, where snowfall is great, tend to avoid
dense stands of conifers that accumulate snow [3].

Salt lick areas - Salt licks are a very important habitat resource.
Peak use of licks occurs in spring and early summer [3].

Summer habitat - During summer mountain goats often use lush stands of
quality herbaceous forage in alpine grasslands and meadows [3].

Migration corridors - Migration corridors are used between summer and
winter ranges and when goats are visiting salt licks [3].  Fall
migrations appear to be influenced by snowfall on the upper ranges and
usually begin around the time of the first snowfall.  Fall movements
generally involve only 3 to 4 miles (5-6.5 km), but migrations of up to
9.5 miles (16 km) are not uncommon.  Upward movement in spring is more
gradual than the fall migrations.  Lone males are generally the first to
arrive at the higher elevations, and females with kids and yearling
goats usually remain at lower levels until the melting snow allows for
more suitable feeding conditions [5].
  
Water - Water is not believed to be a limiting factor on most mountain
goat ranges, as these are either in moist climates or in areas with
persistent snowfields.  However, water availability may restrict goat
movements and habitat selection in southern ranges where the species has
been introduced [3].


COVER REQUIREMENTS : 

Habitat selection by mountain goats is often determined by needs for
security from predation.  One study showed that the distance to cliffs
was the most important factor determining goat distribution and that
summering goats made little use of foraging areas over 1,320 feet (400
m) from cliffs [3].  Only large groups of goats use unsafe habitats
while foraging [17].  Visibility of surroundings is also important to
mountain goats.  Lack of visibility may limit their use of dense stands
of conifers far from escape terrain.  When crossing forested areas
without escape terrain, goats repeatedly use the same trails [3].
 
Kids are born on the steepest, most rugged areas of a goat range [3].
Mountain goat resting sites include rocks, snowbanks, and vegetated
areas.  Goats often utilize high points, especially during good weather,
but seek protection of overhanging rocks and caves during storms or on
unusually hot days [5].


FOOD HABITS : 
Mountain goats eat a variety of plant species.  They will utilize
whatever plants are available [3,4,5].  Grasses, sedges, rushes, forbs,
and shrubs have each been reported as abundant in the diet or as
preferred in both winter and summer studies.  Conifers, mosses, and
lichens are also important winter forages [3,5,8].

In summer feeding areas in Montana, 56 percent of the plants taken were
grasses, sedges, and rushes.  The most important representatives
included tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caepitosa), sheep fescue (Festuca
ovina), alpine bluegrass (Poa spp.), sedges, and rushes.  Forbs
comprised 24 percent of the grazed plants and included lupine (Lupine
spp.), moutain bluebell (Mertensia spp.), and polemonium (Polemonium
spp.).  Dwarf huckleberry (Vaccinum spp.), willow (Salix spp.), and
swamp current (Ribes spp.) represented the shrubs utilized and comprised
16 percent of the summer diet.  Tree species comprised less than 4
percent of the diet.  Mosses, lichens, and ferns were comsumed in trace
amounts.  Rocky Mountain woodsia (Woodsia scopulina) was the most
important fern and was readily utilized by kids [5].

In Colorado, grasslike species made up approximately 96 percent of the
summer diet, while less than 4 percent of the vegetation consumed
consisted of forbs.  The utilization of grasslike species in winter
decreased slightly, to about 88 percent, and about 12 percent of the
diet consisted of shrub species.  Forbs were not an important component
in the winter diet [5].

In South Dakota, lichens are abundant throughout the mountain goat range
and are highly utilized throughout the year.  Leaves and terminal
branches of chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) also are utilized throughout
the year.  Studies have found that species utilization by mountain goats
in the Black Hills is variable.  During the winter months, the diet
consisted of about 60 percent mosses and lichens, 20 percent bearberry
(Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), 10 percent needles and twigs (Pinus
ponderosa), and 10 percent miscellaneous ferns, grasses, and woody
species [5].


PREDATORS : 
Coyotes (Canis latrans) are common throughout much of the range
inhabited by mountain goats, but their importance as predators is
generally considered insignificant.  Mountain lions (Felis concolor) and
bobcats (Felis rufus) may be important predators in remote ranges [5].

Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetus) may be the most important predators,
but the total impact is thought to be insignificant.  Several
observations have been made of golden eagles knocking mountain goats
from cliffs and carrying kids away.  Most eagle predation occurs in
spring, when kids are very small [5].

Mountain goats are also hunted by humans.  Goats are mainly considered a
trophy species [5].  Declines related to overharvest have been reported
in the East Kootenay, British Columbia; in Idaho's Pahsimeroi herd; in
southern Yukon Territory; and in the Wallowa Mountains of Oregon [5].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
The general limiting factor and cause of mortality in mountain goats is
the lack of suitable forage during the winter months when weather
increases the susceptibility to predation, parasites, disease, and
accidents [5].

In recent years, increased road access, mining activity, timber
harvesting, and demand for the species by trophy hunters has led to the
exploitation of many herds [5].  A primary management concern is
overharvest of mountain goats.  Appropriate levels of harvest could be
achieved if (1) annual data on population size and productivity are
known, (2) harvest levels can be regulated on a local basis, and (3)
illegal kill can be controlled.  However, these requirements are often
impractical [3].

Some mountain goat populations are small and isolated, and gene flow
among such populations seems infrequent.  Any human activities may
inhibit goat movements, especially among males, thus increasing
possibilities for inbreeding [3].


REFERENCES : 
NO-ENTRY

FIRE EFFECTS AND USE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Oreamnos americanus | Mountain Goat 



DIRECT FIRE EFFECTS ON ANIMALS : 
Fire suppression on mountain goat range, especially in kidding areas, in
the spring and summer may increase stress levels on mountain goats due
to human disturbance.  On the Lake Wenatchee Ranger District, in
Washington, attempts were made to decrease disturbance to mountain
goats.  Pilots flew more than 500 feet (152 m) away from the kidding
areas and did not use retardant drops on those sites until after July 31
[15].  

Information was not available in the literature regarding the direct
effects of fire on mountain goats.


HABITAT RELATED FIRE EFFECTS : 
The effects of fire on mountain goat habitat has not been well studied.
A study done on large mammal population changes following fires in dense
forests showed that mountain goats ranged mostly at higher elevations
than the fires and were affected little [20].  However, some grasslands
used by mountain goats are the result of past fires, and effective fire
suppression in recent years has resulted in the lack of new grassland
development in some areas [17].  Periodic burning keeps seral grasslands
from becoming dominated by climax coniferous tree cover [19].

Interior mountain goat winter ranges often support sparse stands of
trees or shrubs that are used for forage.  The steep slopes of these
winter ranges are often used by mountain goats for their snow-shedding
characteristics.  Removing forage by fire in these areas may affect
forage resources, shelter, or snow-shedding characteristics [3].


FIRE USE : 
Prescribed burning has been used in some areas to improve habitat for
mountain goats [6].  Fire has been used to establish and maintain
subalpine ranges in British Columbia.  According to Bentz and Woodard
[1], burning provides an economical method of converting subalpine
forests to earlier seral plant communities, which may provide forage for
mountain goats.  Although this burn was used to improve bighorn sheep
range, mountain goat range may also be improved.


REFERENCES : 
NO-ENTRY

References for species: Oreamnos americanus

1. Bentz, Jerry A.; Woodard, Paul M. 1988. Vegetation characteristics and bighorn sheep use on burned and unburned areas in Alberta. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 16(2): 186-193. [15276]

2. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p. [434]

3. Boyd, Raymond J.; Cooperrider, Allen Y.; Lent, Peter C.; Bailey, James A. 1986. Ungulates. In: Cooperrider, Allen Y.; Boyd, Raymond J.; Stuart, Hanson R., eds. Inventory and monitoring of wildlife habitat. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Service Center: 519-564. [10856]

4. Chadwick, Douglas H. 1977. Ecology of the Rocky Mountain goat in Glacier National Park and the Swan Mountains, Montana. Final Report. West Glacier, MT: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Glacier National Park. 54 p. [19359]

5. Chapman, Joseph A.; Feldhamer, George A., eds. 1982. Wild mammals of North America. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press. 1147 p. [21085]

6. Churchill, Brian; Keller, Doyal. 1988. Prescribed burning for wildlife in the Peace River sub-region. In: Feller, M.C.; Thomson, S.M., eds. Wildlife and range prescribed burning workshop proceedings; 1987 October 27-28; Richmond, BC. Vancouver, BC: The University of British Columbia, Faculty of Forestry: 87-100. [3104]

7. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]

8. Fox, Joseph L.; Smith, Christian A. 1988. Winter mountain goat diets in southeast Alaska. Journal of Wildlife Management. 52(2): 362-365. [19254]

9. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others]. 1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]

10. Hall, E. Raymond; Kelson, Keith R. 1959. The mammals of North America, Volume II. New York: The Ronald Press Company. 79 p. [21460]

11. Hjeljord, Olav. 1973. Mountain goat forage and habitat preference in Alaska. Journal of Wildlife Management. 37(3): 353-362. [16004]

12. Houston, Douglas B.; Schreiner, Edward G.; Moorhead, Bruce B.; Olson, Richard W. 1991. Mountain goat management in Olympic National Park: a progress report. Natural Areas Journal. 11(2): 87-92. [16850]

13. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York: American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]

14. Laundre, John W. 1991. Mountain goats in Yellowstone: the horns of a dilemma? Park Science. 11(3): 8-9. [19296]

15. Murphy, Heather. 1991. Fires and imperiled species. Women in Natural Resources. 13(2): 11. [19295]

16. Brandborg, S. M. 1948. Life history observations of the Rocky Mountain goat in Montana. Helena, MT: Montana State Fish and Game Department, Wildland Restoration Division. 102 p. [29423]

17. Elsner-Schack, Irmgard von. 1986. Habitat use by mountain goats, Oreamnos americanus, on the eastern slopes region of the Rocky Mountains at Mount Hamell, Alberta. Canadian Field-Naturalist. 100: 319-324. [19293]

18. Burt, William H.; Grossenheider, Richard P. 1976. A field guide to the mammals. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. 289 p. [13685]

19. Woodard, Paul M.; Van Nest, Terry. 1990. Winter burning bighorn sheep range--a proposed strategy. Forestry Chronicle. October: 473-477. [14619]

20. Wright, Henry A.; Bailey, Arthur W. 1982. Fire ecology: United States and southern Canada. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 501 p. [2620]

Related categories for Wildlife Species: Oreamnos americanus | Mountain Goat