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The Weekend in Black and White
Daily Archives: July 9, 2014
New Life…
We spotted this little Mountain Goat on a little walk at Logan Pass, GNP….
Another doe and her yearling…
BASIC FACTS ABOUT MOUNTAIN GOATS
Despite its name, the mountain goat is actually a member of the antelope family. It has a long face, long black horns and a short tail. Both males and females have beard-like hair on their chins. The mountain goat sports a coat of wooly, white fur that keeps it warm at high elevations. This coat has a double layer for added warmth during winter—the overcoat molts, or falls off, during summer time.
Known for their agility, mountain goats are most often seen scaling steep, rocky ledges. This extreme alpine environment provides them with adequate protection from predators. Strong muscular forequarters and pliable hooves with soft rubbery pads help them maintain traction on craggy rock surfaces and survive in harsh conditions.
Diet
Mountain goats eat grasses, sedges, herbs, shrubs, ferns mosses and lichen.
Population
Did You Know?
From around the age of 22 months, it is possible to tell the age of a mountain goat by counting the number of rings on its horns!
There are an estimated 100,000 Mountain Goats in North America.
Range
The Rocky Mountain and coastal ranges of northwestern North America, including southwestern Alaska.
Behavior
Mountain goats are active both during the day and night, but take time to rest under overhanging cliffs. They mostly live in herds and move around according to season. In the summer, smaller groups will travel to salt licks. Females, called nannies, spend most of the year in herds with their kids, while males either live alone or with 2 – 3 other males. Nannies can be protective of their territory and food, and so will fight other nannies in their herds. During mating season, males will fight each other using their horns for the right to mate with females.
Reproduction
Mating Season: November and December.
Gestation: 150-180 days.
Litter size: Typically one kid; twins rarely.
At birth, the kid weighs around 6 lbs and are able to move along the rocks with its mother within a day or so after
To learn more on Mountain Goats please visit here….
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LITTLE THINGS THURSDAY
Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop
A quick, cold dip…
This evening we decided we would go for a quick dip, when at 7 pm it was still 90 degrees outside.
The kids were able to cool off…
Zayne and his heart-shaped rock…
A bit of splashing going on!
Teigen’s dinosaur claw rock…
The girls flipping their hair…
Zayne warming up!
Emma, very cold…
Maddie’s heart-shaped rock…
A quick group picture below the mountains…
Trying to warm up…
The consensus was that Lake McDonald was very cold! All that freshly melted mountain snow made hands and feet tingle and turn white. Brrrr… The little kids didn’t play too long in the water but had fun finding and skipping rocks. The big kids surprised me at how long they swam, double brrrr….
A couple of evening pictures, not much color but a beautiful place to cool off and get away from the mosquitoes.
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