Mountain goats are built to thrive where few others can. Though they aren’t “true” goats, but part of a unique group of goat-antelopes, they have mastered life on the edge of the alpine world. Their stocky, muscular bodies are covered in a thick, woolly coat of snow-white fur that helps them blend into snowy surroundings. This coat has two layers: a dense, fine underwool beneath longer hollow guard hairs. Together they insulate so well that mountain goats can withstand winter temperatures of −46 °C (−51 °F) and brutal winds on exposed peaks.

Each spring, they shed this coat in clumps by rubbing against rocks and trees, with adult males molting earlier in the season and pregnant females shedding later. By mid-summer a goat might look scruffy with patches of loose fur, but a fresh plush coat grows in by autumn, ready for the next snows.

Both males and females have short beards, stubby tails, and sharp black horns that sweep up and back from the skull. These horns reach about 20-30 cm (8-12 in) and are never shed; each year, a new growth ring forms, allowing age to be estimated by the ridges. A full-grown mountain goat stands about 1 m (3 ft) at the shoulder. Males, known as “billies,” are larger and heavier than females, or “nannies,” sometimes by as much as 30 percent.

Their feet are specialized climbing gear, with cloven hooves that can spread wide on rock, rubbery pads under each toe for grip, and sharp dewclaws at the back that catch if they begin to slip. Their body are deep-chested but narrow, which allows them to balance on tight ledges and even turn around on steep faces. Strong shoulder and neck muscles help them pull themselves up near-vertical rock. These physical tools equip the mountain goat for life on the edge, but behavior plays just as big a role in their survival.

Mountain goats live in harsh places, but their social lives shift with the seasons. In summer, when food is plentiful, they often spread out, foraging alone or in small, scattered groups across the mountainside. In winter, they gather on windswept ridges and forest edges where forage remains. Herding brings safety; if one goat senses danger and bolts toward cliffs, the rest follow. They are mostly diurnal, feeding from dawn into late morning and again in the afternoon until dusk. Midday is spent resting on ledges or in shallow beds where they ruminate and keep watch.

Within herds, a hierarchy develops, and females usually dominate. Nannies are highly competitive over food and space and often outrank males outside the breeding season. Kids begin establishing rank through sparring and playful butting, a practice that shapes future dominance. Adult goats use body language more than force: a dominant individual may stand broadside, arch its back, and lower its head to display horns. If that fails, it might bluff-charge or jab, but real injuries are rare. Subordinates avoid conflict by lowering their bodies or turning away.

Mountain goats are generally quiet. Mothers and kids communicate with soft bleats or mews, newborns give a high-pitched call, and subordinates sometimes make a meek sound when harassed. Otherwise, body language and sharp eyesight do most of the talking.

Mountain goats are found only in western North America, from Alaska and Canada south into the northwestern United States. They have also been introduced to areas outside their native range, including parts of Colorado, South Dakota, Utah, Nevada, and Washington’s Olympic Mountains. British Columbia is a stronghold, holding about half of the global population.

These animals live in alpine and subalpine zones, usually above the tree line or along its edge, at elevations between 1,000 and 4,000 m (3,300-13,000 ft). They favor steep, broken terrain such as cliffs, ledges, and talus slopes. This provides “escape terrain,” ground where predators cannot easily follow. Mountain goats can often be seen standing on improbably small outcrops or moving calmly across narrow ledges that seem inaccessible to most animals. In contrast, they avoid flat valleys and dense forests, where their agility offers less advantage.

In spring and summer, as alpine meadows green up, goats may descend into high basins to feed. In winter, heavy snow pushes them toward lower elevations or onto south-facing slopes that catch more sun and shed snow faster. They also travel through forested areas to reach mineral salt licks at lower elevations, often at night or during poor weather to reduce the risk of predators, before retreating to the security of higher cliffs.

Food is sparse at altitude, but mountain goats are resourceful. In the brief alpine summer they graze on grasses and sedges, browse herbs and wildflowers, pick ferns from moist pockets, and peel mosses and lichens from rock. They also nip twigs and needles from low shrubs and young conifers near timberline. Like other ruminants, they swallow rough forage quickly, ferment it in a multi-chambered stomach, and then bring up cud to chew again. This allows them to feed quickly in exposed areas and retreat to a safer perch to digest while keeping watch.

Winter is lean. Goats paw and scrape at snow to uncover dried grasses and sedges and browse the exposed stems, needles, and bark of alpine conifers. They favor ridges and slopes where wind and sun keep the snow shallow, since they can only dig through about 45 cm (18 in) of soft snow. To conserve energy, they rest during storms and forage when conditions ease.

Alpine plants are low in sodium, so goats travel to natural mineral licks, which are soil or clay deposits rich in salts. After snowmelt in late spring and early summer, they may journey up to 10 km (6 mi) and descend far below their usual haunts to lick or gnaw mineral-rich soil for hours. This replenishes nutrients and helps them digest the flush of new green growth.

The rut occurs from late October through December. As it begins, normally solitary billies roam widely in search of females. Courtship is often gentle: a male may approach low, lick or nuzzle a nanny’s coat, and dig or wallow in a “rutting pit,” coating himself with scent. Rival males test each other in controlled flank-jabbing contests rather than head-on clashes. Thickened skin over the neck and shoulders helps protect them, though fatal horn strikes do happen. Usually the larger, stronger male dominates and mates with receptive females, but both sexes may have multiple partners in a season.

Gestation lasts about six months, so births fall in late May or June when alpine plants are at their peak. A nanny isolates on an inaccessible ledge or outcrop and usually bears a single kid. Twins occur occasionally, and triplets are very rare. Within hours, a newborn can stand, walk, and follow its mother, an ability that is critical on steep terrain. Kids weigh around 3 kg (6-7 lb) at birth and have a woolly white coat. The mother cleans her offspring thoroughly and eats the placenta to remove scent cues and reclaim nutrients. After a short period of seclusion, mother and kid rejoin a loose nursery group of females with young.

Nannies nurse their kids for three to four months, although the young begin nibbling plants within weeks. By late summer the milk supply dwindles and youngsters learn to forage by shadowing their mothers. Females are fiercely protective, often placing themselves between their kid and a threat, and even positioning downhill so that a slipping youngster slides into them rather than over the edge. Due to this vigilance and the safety of cliffs, many kids survive their first year. If a nanny conceives again, she drives off her yearling in late spring before giving birth. Displaced yearlings may form small groups with other juveniles or linger near older female relatives.

Outside the breeding season, society is divided by sex. Nannies and their kids form nursery groups that occupy the best feeding grounds, while adult males roam alone or in small bachelor bands. They rejoin the females only when the next rut begins. This seasonal separation reduces conflict and ensures that prime forage goes to nursing mothers and growing young.

The mountain goat’s coat shifts with the year. In winter, it grows long and shaggy, often forming “pantaloons” down the legs. In spring, it sheds in clumps, leaving a patchy look before the sleek summer coat appears. By autumn, a fresh underwool thickens again, preparing for the cold season.

Behavior changes with the weather. Summer allows goats to disperse widely across meadows and ridges, but it also brings heat and biting insects. To cope, they seek breezy heights, shaded north slopes, or even sprawl across lingering snowbanks to cool off. As autumn advances, they tighten their range and prepare for the rut, then regroup more closely through winter.

Mountain goats connect alpine plants to larger predators. Their grazing and browsing influence plant communities, their droppings enrich thin soils, and the trails they wear into slopes can affect erosion. Predators include wolves, bears, wolverines, lynx, and especially cougars, which are agile enough to hunt them in steep terrain. Golden eagles may strike kids on exposed ledges. Goats usually flee to cliffs for safety, but if pressed, they can be dangerous. There are confirmed cases of adults goring even large carnivores.