“I’m not exactly sure when or where my interest in Oreamnos americanus, more commonly know as Mountain Goat, came from, but it’s hard not to be intrigued by this majestic animal when you’re eye to eye with it at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum.

This specimen, a female, known by the bend in the horns at the tip, was collected on September 15, 1907 in Banff, Alberta by Major A.C. Brooks at 1800 feet above sea level. Mountain goats prefer steep rocky terrain within alpine and subalpine areas and are the largest mammals found in the high-altitude habitats. With a thick white wooly double coat made up of a fine dense undercoat and an outer long-hair hollow coat, mountain goats are able to withstand temperatures as low as -46 °C. Having recently driven through the Alberta and British Columbia Rockies, I can attest to the need for a nice coat to stay warm while touring the backcountry.

As you look into the eyes of the specimen at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, for a moment you get the feeling you’re back to 1907 on a cold fall evening - the wind blows beneath your feet and you pull your jacket tighter to keep yourself warm.”

Evan Hilchey, Director of Student Affairs at Thompson Rivers University.