Wyoming’s occurrence data holds 406 mountain goat records, and Yellowstone National Park alone accounts for 59 of them, more than any other named site in the state.
A species that wasn’t always here
Unlike most of Wyoming’s mountain mammals, the mountain goat isn’t native to the state. NatureServe flags it as exotic in Wyoming, the product of goats introduced to ranges in Montana decades ago that later expanded south on their own into the Absaroka and Beartooth high country and eventually into Yellowstone’s alpine peaks. That colonization has become a real management concern, since the park’s native bighorn sheep share the same cliffs and fragile alpine ground the goats now use.
Cliffs, snowfields, and a short viewing window
This is a species built for terrain above treeline: steep cliffs, snowfields, and sparse alpine forage where few other large mammals can follow. Records climb sharply from May through July, tracking the short window when high alpine trails clear of snow and hikers and researchers can actually reach the exposed rock where mountain goats spend their summer.
Status in Wyoming
NatureServe rates the mountain goat’s Wyoming status Not Applicable rather than assigning a state conservation rank, the label used for a species considered exotic here rather than part of the native fauna. Its records in Yellowstone reflect an expanding, closely monitored presence rather than a long-established one.
Full species profile
