Mountain goat

The breed, which originated among the mountain peaks. Treat bovids mind and is the only representative. Much in common domesticated Mountain goats have a wild mountain goats, but still belong to different species. Special studies do not need to spend in order to distinguish between these two types, the abolition of all be clearly seen with the naked eye.

Adverse weather conditions Mountain goats are used to and quite easy to carry them no worse than wild animals. Extremely low temperatures are not afraid of a goat, it is able to survive even 50 degrees of frost, in strong winds and noticed. This provides good thermal insulation and durable thick fur, which resembles a large fur coat, and in addition there is still and medium-sized beard.

Mountain goats can easily leave even the most steep and dangerous slopes, an excellent coupling with the rock provides a special form of the hoof. Firstly, they are very strong, and secondly, on the hoof split allows you to expand and narrow, depending on the needs. This form allows the hoof to pass on almost any terrain with a slope of no more than 60 degrees. Mountain goats to move very slowly, it is difficult shifting from foot to foot, not so fast, but sure step goats can get around any vertex. But if the goats are in danger, they immediately activated and in a short period of time can gain a fairly high speed.

Due to its heavy weight Mountain goats jump very rarely, because it is given to them is very difficult. When the herd comes down, then jump to become a lot easier, so that will come down from the mountain goats begin to jump from one ledge to another, the distance between them may become 7 meters. If you are not near the ledge is sustainable, then the goat jumps and immediately focused on a more sustainable cobblestones, while it may be twisted in the air almost 180 degrees.

Mountain goats are a severe type, the largest specimens reach 95-105 cm at the withers and weigh more than 120 kg. Visually, this breed of goat seem to be very huge, but you need to know that they have a large and luxuriant hair, which promptly inserted a few extra tens of kilograms. Despite such a large size, small horns of goats, this is the main difference between domestic breeds and rock goats. domestic breed Horn is not only smaller, but has a slightly different shape – curved and smooth. Weight Snowy mountain goats slightly smaller cousins, it is also one of the obvious differences. Muzzle in goats to the form of a square with rounded kutami neck is broad and muscular. The tail is very short, almost imperceptible. Winter coat is very thick, durable and virtually covers the entire body, and in the summer it becomes not so long and more rare that resembles velvet. Long hair covered most of the body, only the limbs are covered with shorter hair. On the face there is a bundle of long hair that looks like a beard.

Breed mountain goats very beautiful, not for nothing that they were given such a name. Year-round snow-white hair has color and sparkles, hooves and black horn. Color horn has its own peculiarities: in the cold season, they are black, and closer to summer begin to lighten and gradually change color to gray. This applies to both the goats and the goats.

Breed Snow goats not apply to common, it can be seen to the roofing on the slopes of North America. In search of food animals can go to the top to the 3,000 m. Long ago Mountain goats inhabited all of North America, but over time they began to drive away from the amassed places, so they had to wander in the more remote and quiet places.

Interesting facts about snow breed goats:

• Goats move only on the highlands, meet the breed goats in the forest or in the middle of the field impossible, but sometimes animals come to the salt licks.
• In goats, matriarch of the herd, that is, the leader is not male and female.

Generally such thing as a herd of mountain goats do not exist, they are going for 2-4 individuals who establish close ties with each other or are a single life. This indicates that the majority of males get used to one or two female and mate with them only.

Mountain goats can be attributed to the fearless animals, as they do not fear neither the height nor the lack of stable ledges and boulders. Sometimes scarps are so small that they are almost not visible, but the goats manage to move confidently on them. Down goats down much faster by jumping, which can reach up to 7m in length. When goats jumping from rock to rock, you seem to be very light and almost weightless, despite its impressive weight. All the rest of the goats practically does not play, do not run, and generally behave very quiet and peaceful. They do not disputed, and if it happens to clash with other animals, the goat does not use their horns and dodging striker. Doing pirouettes allows such an unusual design knees.

Mountain goats eat all the vegetation that can be found in the highlands: shrubs, grass, moss, branches of trees, wild cereals. The goats that live in nature reserves, are very fond of different vegetables and fruits.

At the beginning of the winter months begin production of offspring season. To draw the attention of the female goats are spreading a special liquid, which has a peculiar odor and bears some information about the owner. The gland that produces the fluid to be behind the horns, so the goat horns rubs on trees and rocks, leaving them on their smell to the larger females knew about the male. If the male has found a female, he should carry out a number of actions: he sit on the hind legs and the front starts to dig a hole in the ground, then sticks out his tongue and limbs bent at the knees goes behind the female. All of these actions are intended to show humility before the female, so she chose it as a partner. After that, all the male strikes the female’s side, if it meets the same, it means that they approached each other. During this period, between the goats often conflicts arise, the subject of which is a goat. At the same time they have wool ceases on end, and the back is bent, like a cat that betrays frightening appearance. If this fight does not end, it turns into a dance, the meaning of which is that the horns each other are crossed with each other and in that position they can spin for a long time. The tragic cases of very rare, most fights are safe.

Mountain goats are not very fecundity, one lambing they cite just one kid, weighing 3 kg. Newborn goats immediately begin to move quickly and actively suck the milk in the mother. At the age of 1 month goats may already own graze on an open environment with all the other goats. The life expectancy of mountain goats is 12-15 years, and in the home, and can live up to 20 years.

Enemies Mountain Goat has a large number, but they provide only a danger on the earth below, and on the heights, where goats graze, very few people gets. The real danger is the puma, which hobnob and on the tops of the mountains, but luckily the goats have a good vision, so they can get away in time. In extreme cases, the Mountain goats can be used against the enemy horns.

In ancient times, people do not dare to attack such a large and powerful animals, but only collected on the mountain slopes of wool, which is used to make warm clothes. Nowadays people practically superseded the goats from the familiar environment, so their number has declined significantly, and the breed is on the verge of extinction. To save the Snowy breed goats, experts create special reserves where animals can feel safe.