Mountain goats are the literal GOATs of mountain climbing.
So when you run into one on what could be called their “home turf,” that can usually be the perfect equation for some trouble. And before I get too far into this story, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the non-creative naming of the animal. Someone way back in the day said, “Hey, check out that goat on that mountain,” and it was as simple as that. No confusion, no fancy name, and no nonsense. We all collectively have just decided to call a mountain goat what it is.
But here’s the thing… mountain goats actually aren’t goats at all. They’re actually more closely related to gazelles, and belong to the antelope family. Their genus (which solely belong to them) is Oreamnos, which is a combination of the Greek words óros, which translates to “mountain,” and amnós which is “lamb.” So maybe we should be calling them mountain antelopes?
Regardless of whether their name is a hit or a miss, mountain goats live in some of the harshest climates and conditions on Earth, which tend to lie atop the rocky peaks of the world. These creatures live where there is limited food and water supplies, the weather is as cold, snowy and windy as it gets, and oxygen levels are naturally lower in mountain climates. And you know what? Mountain goats don’t care one bit about any of that.
They live at elevations up to 13,000 feet, and areas that high up are naturally going to be dangerous to traverse. Any other animal might be bothered with having to navigate cliffs and other steep terrains, but mountain goats are legitimately built for it. They have unique, split hooves that are equipped with soft padding that allows for them to gain footing in situations that would seem nearly impossible.
Just to be clear – in case the name isn’t descriptive enough – there’s not an animal better suited for mountain living than the mountain goat.
So when us humans go on a hike and run into one, we’re without a doubt at a disadvantage. When mountain goats feel threatened, they can be incredibly dangerous and have been known to be aggressive around humans. Add a steep cliff to the mix and you’ve got yourself an accident waiting to happen.
However, this Alaskan hiker must have known what he was getting into when he went off trail hiking in the mountains. When he came across a mountain goat that eventually came sprinting right at him, he made sure his handgun was locked and loaded. He and the mountain-dwelling creature had a tense standoff for quite some time as the two tried to figure out of they were friends or foes.
Eventually, the gun-wielding hiker was able to encourage the mountain goat to move right along, and he thankfully never had to use his firearm. There were a couple of moments in the footage where I got a little worried, but the animal became either intimidated or bored and moved away from the man after a while.
You’ll see that in the clip below:
