that may have evolved as a means 
of escaping predators. Goats bed on 
or near rock outcroppings and kids 
are generally born in the protection 
of rocky cover. Although we have 
found little solid evidence of predation 
on goats in the Olympic Mountains, 
the region is frequented by cougars, 
bobcats, coyotes, and golden eagles; 
all have been known to prey on moun- 
tain goats in other settings. Only the 
cougar, however, is formidable enough 
to attack and kill an adult goat. An- 
other major predator, the wolf, has 
been extinct on the Olympic Peninsula 
for nearly fifty years. 
As is well known, mountain goats 
are accomplished climbers, their hoofs 
allowing them greater mobility on rug- 
ged, precipitous terrain than that at- 
tained by most other North American 
ungulates. Mountain goats are arti- 
odactyls, or even-toed ungulates, hav- 
ing two toes on each foot. The outer 
edges of each toe are composed of 
a hard, bony shell that encircles a 
softer inner part. Unlike deer or elk, 
whose inner foot parts are concave, 
the mountain goat’s inner foot is con- 
vex — an adaptation that provides for 
improved traction on smooth rock sur- 
faces and more efficient use of small 
footholds in climbing. Vertical cliffs 
and rocky bluffs are an important as- 
pect of the mountain goat’s ecology 
not only because they provide a safe 
haven from predators but also because 
they offer freedom from deep snow 
and access to forage that is beyond 
the reach of other ungulates. 
Another essential feature of the 
mountain goat’s habitat is the alpine 
meadows, dense patches of grasses and 
herbaceous plants, which provide the 
animal’s major food resource. Moun- 
tain goats are generalists and will uti- 
lize nearly all available plant species. 
Like most animals inhabiting temper- 
ate regions, mountain goats must cope 
with seasonal fluctuations in food 
availability. The plant communities on 
which they subsist are composed pri- 
marily of perennials, which maintain 
vegetative parts such as leaves, stems, 
and flowers above ground for only a 
short time each year. During the win- 
ter most alpine plants are dormant, 
saving their energy for more favorable 
weather in the spring. This dormancy 
coincides with a time when major por- 
tions of the vegetational habitat are 
covered with deep snow, making them 
inaccessible to hungry herbivores. In 
some regions, mountain goats may ex- 
hibit vertical migration, moving down 
to lower altitudes where there is less 
snow and food is more readily ob- 
tainable. During the summer, when 
food is abundant, the animals consume 
quantities in excess of their daily 
needs. Their indulgent eating habits 
result in an accumulation of fat, which 
helps to sustain them during the lean 
winter months. Since 1976, nine 
mountain goats have been found dead 
in the park. Most mortality is appar- 
ently the result — direct or indirect — 
of winter malnutrition. Several of the 
dead goats were killed by accidental 
falls, which are more likely if an ani- 
mal is in a weakened condition. 
Like most artiodactyls, mountain 
goats are ruminants: ungulates with 
a four-chambered stomach. The first 
and largest of these chambers, the ru- 
men, contains colonies of bacteria and 
protozoans specialized for breaking 
down carbohydrates and cellulose — 
the major constituent of the cell walls 
of plants. Since ruminants lack some 
necessary enzymes, they rely on 
“hitchhiking” microorganisms to aid 
them in digestion. Through a complex 
fermentation process, these symbionts 
manufacture essential amino acids, 
synthesize water-soluble vitamins, and 
convert cellulose into volatile fatty 
acids. The latter are absorbed directly 
through the rumen and are an im- 
portant source of energy. The micro- 
organisms themselves are digested as 
they pass through the intestines and 
provide the ruminant with protein 
needed for bodily growth and main- 
tenance. In addition, the rumen serves 
as a holding tank for unchewed food 
eaten quickly during limited foraging 
63 
