Hi my name is Bradley Snow and the animal that I decided to work on is the European Mountain goat, another word is the Ibex. The Europeanmountain goats  really belong to the antelope family and are not really goats at all! They are most closely related to antelopes in Asia and the European Alps. The Ibex belongs to the family Bovidae and are classified as Oreamnos americanus.

  Their habitat ranges from the high mountains in the northwestern United States all the way to Alaska. Mountain goats live in places where there is a lot of snowfall. I am surprised that they can survive on the cliffs and in the dangerous weather. They live in some of the world's most rugged terrain and usually settle close to the timberline, often as high as 8,000 feet above sea level. They usually don't have much company, since not many animals can survive in the snowy land up in the clouds.

  The mountain goats are excellent climbers. Their hooves have soft pads in the middle for traction. The pads are also slightly hollowed and act like a suction cup when they press down. The edges are hard for cutting into rock or ice. Their hooves are also split into two sections, unlike a horse. The two sections can be spread out wide so the mountain goat won't slip when travelling downhill. Two claws higher up on the foot work like brakes if the goat begins to slide. The mountain goats can run through anything like hard rock, snow, and ice. They are able to perform amazing feats! If they run out of room on a ledge, they can either back up or stand up on their hind legs, turn around and drop back down
to all four hooves. They can also jump from one angerous ledge to another, covering as much as 10 feet in a single bound. If a mountain goat wants to move to a higher ledge, it can leap straight up and hook its front feet over the top of a rock. Using its back legs, it then pulls itself up over the ridge to the top.
 

  It is very hard to sneak up on mountain goats. They have very good eyes and can see movement up to a mile away! They also have a keen sense of smell and can detect enemies long before there is any danger. Even if they don't smell danger, their excellent hearing will warn them of enemies coming.

  Mountain goats are safe from most predators high in the mountains. Sometimes a golden eagle might get a young baby, but only the cougar and the lynx are surefooted enough to be dangerous in the high altitudes. If attacked they fight very well with their razor-sharp horns. Rockslides and avalanches are much more dangerous to mountain goats than predators. The mountain goats are about 36-48 inches from shoulders to hooves. Billies can weigh up to 250 pounds or more. Nannies are much lighter and smaller.

  The mountain goats are about 36-48 inches from shoulders to hooves. Billies can weigh up to 250 pounds or more. Nannies are much lighter and smaller.

   Both sexes have black horns, but you can tell the difference between nannies and billies because the billies' horns are curved and the nannies' are more straight, with a sharp curve at the tips. They never lose their horns, they just grow a little longer each year.

   Their fur is yellowish-white that covers the body. They also have a little tuft of fur under their chins. Mountain goats are well dressed for life in the mountains. They wear a heavy, whit fleecy coat which keeps them snug and warm in cold weather. The shaggy outer layer is made up of guard hairs that may be up to 5-6 inches long that shed both water and snow. Underneath are about 3-4 inches of very fine wool. The undercoat helps to keep their valuable body heat from escaping. Because their front legs are short compared to the back legs, they walk very stiffly, appearing to strut around.

  The babies have two black leathery spots on their head where horns will grow. A few minutes after being born, the kid stands up and begins to feed on its mother's milk. The kids are usually about 13 inches tall at the shoulder and weigh about 7 pounds. In less than 1 hour the kid is hopping on its own legs.
 

  The young mountain goat follows its mother really closely. Nannies stay very close to their young kids. If any animal tries to get the kid it has to get past the mom first. After a few days, they join the band of other nannies and their young.

  The young mountain goats start nibbling on plants when