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This kind of cracked me up. I hope he got a good selfie as the Mountain Goat was using one of his better poses or did he see himself in the camera! Anyway, I got a kick out of it.
Mountain goats are among the most frequently encountered animals in Glacier National Park. The truth is that these subalpine to alpine species are quite used to visitors in the park, and those ungulates are not scared of humans at all.
from https://glacierguides.com/blog/mountain-goats/ Mountain Goats aren’t actually goats at all. They are more closely related to gazelles and African antelope. They look like goats, smell like goats, and act like goats though, so the mixup is quite understandable.
Lewis & Clark, the early European-American explorers, came across these creatures when they got to the Rocky Mountains. As part of their expedition, they cataloged and attempted to identify plants and animals as they moved westward.
When they came across something new, it often ended up being named for whatever previously known animal or plant it most closely resembled. Because of this, many species of flora and fauna, goats included, ended up with less than accurate names.
In their defense, Lewis and Clark had an awful lot on their plates as they were making their way across a previously uncharted part of the world. Surviving the elements and trying not to starve seem like a worthwhile focus, so a relatively harmless mistake like this one seem forgivable in my book.
Mountain goats are among the most frequently encountered animals in Glacier National Park. The truth is that these subalpine to alpine species are quite used to visitors in the park, and those ungulates are not scared of humans at all.
from https://glacierguides.com/blog/mountain-goats/ Mountain Goats aren’t actually goats at all. They are more closely related to gazelles and African antelope. They look like goats, smell like goats, and act like goats though, so the mixup is quite understandable.
Lewis & Clark, the early European-American explorers, came across these creatures when they got to the Rocky Mountains. As part of their expedition, they cataloged and attempted to identify plants and animals as they moved westward.
When they came across something new, it often ended up being named for whatever previously known animal or plant it most closely resembled. Because of this, many species of flora and fauna, goats included, ended up with less than accurate names.
In their defense, Lewis and Clark had an awful lot on their plates as they were making their way across a previously uncharted part of the world. Surviving the elements and trying not to starve seem like a worthwhile focus, so a relatively harmless mistake like this one seem forgivable in my book.