Mountain Goat Characteristics: Average size • Nimble • Dexterous • Creative • Unsociable • Neurotic
Scientific Name: Oreamnos americanus
Collective Term: A trip of mountain goats 

The Precarious Mountain Goat

"Put silk on a goat and it is still a goat" Irish saying.
 Mountain goat personalities are very much loners. Observing the goings-on from their unique perch, they are consummate voyeurs and when mingling with other terrestrial animal personalities they feel uncomfortable and vulnerable. After brief forays into their world, they must return to their place of security.

The Mountain Goat Psyche

Balance is a critical component of a mountain goat's life, and they are moderate in every facet of their behavior. With conservative family values, their politics are middle of the road, and their even-keeled life has similar characteristics to that of their cousin the sheep. However, there's an air of eccentricity about a mountain goat, and this is reflected in their unusually decorated homes.

Nimble of foot and quick of mind, mountain goats are adept at extricating themselves from tricky situations. Usually though, there’re responsible for getting into these predicaments in the first place and have a habit of not learning from their mistakes. Although intelligent, they do not have much in the way of street smarts and could be considered naive. This is probably due to a lack of real-world experience.

A Socially Adept Creature

A creature of gossip, mountain goats subscribe to the rumor mill that includes tabloid magazines and TV shows in an attempt to better understand the world of the terrestrial personalities. They love to watch soap operas and other shows depicting the tumult of human relationships. With this affinity for intrigue and gossip, they would make a great movie critics, writers, hairdressers or tabloid journalists.

If you're looking for a scout guide or hiking partner, this sure-footed beast is an ideal choice. However, its talents as a leader are suspect. Because of its solitary existence, it does not have the insight into human behavior that is required for leadership. Mountain goats are not risk takers and need to feel solid ground beneath their feet before making any major decision. Mia Farrow is an exemplary mountain goat who manages to maintain her balance while snakes and rock-falls threaten to dislodge her grip on life.

Mountain Goats in the Wild

Mountain goats have a precarious existence, for while their highly evolved hooves make them master of their slippery and dangerous domain, they are challenged by the sparse vegetation found at these higher elevations. Having found a niche on slopes between two thousand and seventeen thousand feet, they feed mainly on grass and herbs during the summer and leaves in the winter.

Mountain goats are also known as ibexes, and there are seven distinct species found in Asia, North Africa, and Europe. One advantage to living in such an inhospitable environment is the lack of predators. However, snow leopards and wolves will often claim unwary individuals on the lower elevations.

Careers & Hobbies

Movie critic • Writer  • Hair dresser • Journalist
Rock climbing  • People watching  • Gossiping  • Hiking

Love & Friendship

Mountain goats enjoy nothing more than open-air rendezvous with their lovers, and the goat's courting behavior is simple and charming. It prefers a picnic basket on a checkered tablecloth to formal dinners with champagne and crystal, and this style is reflected in its choice of mates -- casual, quirky types with laid back personalities.

These are high maintenance lovers for a relationship with a mountain goat is an exercise in ups and downs. Even though their emotional fragility causes the premature death of many love affairs, if their partner remains faithful the mountain goat will honor it with commitment and love.

The mountain goat's elusive sensibilities don't give it a wide choice of partners. In fact, only a small number of animal personalities are even remotely compatible with this erratic creature.

The unfettered attitudes of swans, horses, sheep, and deer make for sweet and gentle unions, but it is with the soaring eagle that the mountain goat finds its spiritual communion. A shared love of freedom and appreciation for the open air makes them eternal soul mates.

Famous Mountain Goat Personalities

Mia Farrow

Having your adopted daughter run off with your husband would drive any woman over the precipice. This is what happened to actress Mia Farrow and husband Woody Allen -- and she still managed to maintain her balance.

Sir Edmund Hillary

It took a mountain goat personality to be the first man to climb Mount Everest. The reward? Standing completely alone (with Sherpa Tenzing) on the highest point on earth for a few minutes.

Hillary Clinton

Hilary Clinton has a talent for getting out of tricky predicaments... often of her own making. Nimble, smart and able to see the big picture from her craggy perch, her skittish personality makes few friends.