Mountain Goats

Updated 10/23/26

Meet Finnegan and Piper! 

Finnegan and Piper are both 8 years old and arrived here from the Oregon Zoo. 

Mountain goats are native to the steep, rugged mountains of northwestern North America, including Southcentral Alaska. They're built for life on rocky cliffs, where their incredible climbing skills help them find food and escape predators. 

Mountain goats typically live around 12–15 years in the wild. Under human care, they can live 12–20 years, with some individuals living even longer. 

Despite their name, mountain goats aren't true goats. They're actually the only living species in their scientific genus, Oreamnos, and are more closely related to antelopes than to the goats you might see on a farm! 

In the wild, adult males, called Billies, typically weigh 260 to 350 pounds, while females, called nannies, can weigh up to 180 pounds. Their thick, white coats help keep them warm in freezing mountain weather. 

Take a look at their hooves! Mountain goats have hard outer hoof edges and softer, rubbery pads underneath that grip uneven rock like climbing shoes. This special design helps them balance on incredibly steep slopes. They can even leap between narrow ledges with impressive agility! 

Here's another fun fact: mountain goats grow black horns that both males and females keep throughout their lives. The horns curve slightly backward and can help with defense and competition. Unlike antlers, which are shed and regrown, their horns continue growing year after year. 

Mountain goats are herbivores. In summer, they graze on grasses and low-growing plants in alpine meadows. In winter, when food is harder to find, they browse on shrubs and lichens. In coastal areas, they may move to lower elevations during winter, while some interior populations stay on windswept ridges where vegetation remains exposed. 

If you travel south from Anchorage, you might spot what looks like a mountain goat along the highway. Look closely, though! Those white animals are often Dall sheep, another Alaskan mountain climber. You can tell them apart by their horns: mountain goats have slender, black horns, while Dall sheep have thick, curved horns that are usually lighter in color. 

Mountain goats generally have stable populations across much of their range, but harsh winters and habitat changes can affect their numbers. Because they reproduce slowly, populations can take a long time to recover after a decline. 

Thanks for visiting Finnegan, and Piper! Come back soon to see what our mountain goats are up to. There's always something new to discover at the Alaska Zoo!