Do mountain goats fall to their death?
As I climb mountains locally in the summer I’ll frequently see mountain goats jumping along rocky ledges and grazing in alpine meadows. A few years ago we came across a heard of about 30 mountain goats apparently protecting their turf near an 11,000 foot summit. That led me to wonder, do mountain goats ever fall?

With their low center of gravity, strong calf muscles and gripping hooves they have amazing climbing ability, but yes, they do fall. Gayle Joslin, a wildlife biologist with Montana's Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks reported in Outside Magazine, "You'll find their carcasses at the bottoms of avalanche chutes or see live ones with their horns facing the wrong way—an indication of a fall." Falls are often the result of a turf battle or dodging an aerial attack from a golden eagle—a predator of their young—on steep slopes. "The amazing thing," says Joslin, "is how infrequently they fall."