10/03/2025
What’s in your backyard?
Meet the mountain goat, a nimble resident who can scale sheer cliffs with ease thanks to cloven, suction-like hooves and the ability to leap nearly 10 feet in a single bound. In Nevada, these sure-footed climbers are only found in the Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range, where a small population was introduced in the 1960s and ’80s. They have thick white coats with black horns. From afar, males (billies) and females (nannies) look alike, though billies sport thicker, gently curving horns and often roam alone, while nannies gather in matriarchal herds with their kids. They can live for 10–14 years, and weigh 100 to 300 pounds, depending on s*x. They shift with the seasons, grazing above 9,000 feet in summer, descending in winter for shrubs and mosses, and seeking salt licks wherever they can be found. With sharp eyesight, keen hearing, and a remarkable sense of smell, these rugged mountaineers remain ever alert as they perch atop Nevada’s wildest peaks.
To learn more about living with Nevada’s wildlife, check out these resources: https://www.ndow.org/.../wildlife.../living-with-wildlife/
What’s in your backyard?
Meet the mountain goat, a nimble resident who can scale sheer cliffs with ease thanks to cloven, suction-like hooves and the ability to leap nearly 10 feet in a single bound. In Nevada, these sure-footed climbers are only found in the Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range, where a small population was introduced in the 1960s and ’80s. They have thick white coats with black horns. From afar, males (billies) and females (nannies) look alike, though billies sport thicker, gently curving horns and often roam alone, while nannies gather in matriarchal herds with their kids. They can live for 10–14 years, and weigh 100 to 300 pounds, depending on s*x. They shift with the seasons, grazing above 9,000 feet in summer, descending in winter for shrubs and mosses, and seeking salt licks wherever they can be found. With sharp eyesight, keen hearing, and a remarkable sense of smell, these rugged mountaineers remain ever alert as they perch atop Nevada’s wildest peaks.
To learn more about living with Nevada’s wildlife, check out these resources: https://www.ndow.org/learn-discover/wildlife-discovery/living-with-wildlife/
