Mountain Goats

Ammotragus lervia

OrderArtiodactyla

FamilyBovidae

HabitatDesert mountains, cliffs, and canyon country

SeasonYear-round

LocationDavis Mountains State Park, Fort Davis, Texas, Jeff Davis County, Texas

SizeUp to 4.5 feet long, 100-300 pounds

DietGrasses, shrubs, and forbs

ConservationVulnerable in native North Africa; intro

CameraNikon Z9Lens400mmAperturef/11Shutter1/500ISO360

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Mountain Goat picking along the ridgeline at Davis Mountains State Park.

About the Mountain Goats

The shaggy wild sheep scrambling along West Texas ridgelines are aoudad, or Barbary sheep, natives of the dry mountains of North Africa that were introduced to Texas ranches in the 1940s and 1950s. They took to the Trans-Pecos so completely that tens of thousands now roam the desert ranges.

Sure-footed on terrifying slopes and nearly invisible against sun-baked rock, aoudad are most often spotted as a line of sandy shapes picking along a distant rim. Both sexes carry sweeping curved horns and a distinctive mane of long hair on the throat and chest.

This group was photographed on the ridges at Davis Mountains State Park in December.

Want to see a Mountain Goats in the wild?
Join one of my guided birding tours! Fine art prints of my photos are also available.

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