There's not a high degree of sexual dimorpism in goats. nuances in the structure of the horn and body that can help a hunter detect whether it's a billy or a nanny. The rocky mountain goat alliance produced a fantastic educational video to help hunters select. And overtime, hunters are choosing to take more billies, which is great. Takes a long time to get a nanny to a reproductive age, and then she'll only have one kid a year,. If that may be one every other year. They only live to about 14. So there's lots of little nuances to mountain goat management using hunting.
Mountain goats are not goats. And there’s only one living species, Oreamnos americanus. WHAT?? Montana-based wildlife biologist and Oreamnologist Julie Cunningham counts mountain goats from helicopters, traps and tests them for science, and spends even her off days searching for them on mountaintops. We cover their population, sensual mating habits, the feel of their wool, pungent goatwhiff, tips for hikers and how these animals defy gravity scaling near-vertical cliffs. Oh also, why your favorite trail might be delicious.
Julie Cunningham’s bio
A donation was made to the Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance: GoatAlliance.org
You may also enjoy: Cervidology (DEER), Bovine Neuropathology (HEADBUTTING), Neuropathology (CONCUSSIONS), Cryoseismology (ICEQUAKES), Bryology (MOSS), Phenology (SEASONS)
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Sound editing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media
Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary
Website by Kelly R. Dwyer
Theme song by Nick Thorburn