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Ovis canadensis
I must say these were stupid goats one was walking into a tree and one was jumping
Great spotting! Please consider adding to the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Watch Mission. http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/8465...
I think this is a very nice spotting. They are inquisitive and playful. I've spent many wonderful hours in the presence of bighorns, including groups of ewes and lambs. Many favorite experiences including a lamb bedding down just a few feet from where I sat. Very cool....grin.
Goats are extremely curious and intelligent. They are easily trained to pull carts and walk on leads. Ches McCartney, nicknamed "the goat man", toured the United States for over three decades in a wagon pulled by a herd of pet goats. They are also known for escaping their pens. Goats will test fences, either intentionally or simply because they are handy to climb on. If any of the fencing can be spread, pushed over or down, or otherwise be overcome, the goats will escape. Due to their high intelligence, once they have discovered a weakness in the fence, they will exploit it repeatedly. Goats are very coordinated and can climb and hold their balance in the most precarious places. Goats are also widely known for their ability to climb trees, although the tree generally has to be on somewhat of an angle. The vocalization goats make is called bleating.
Goats have an intensely inquisitive and intelligent nature: they will explore anything new or unfamiliar in their surroundings. They do so primarily with their prehensile upper lip and tongue. This is why they investigate items such as buttons, camera cases or clothing (and many other things besides) by nibbling at them, occasionally even eating them.
When handled as a group, goats tend to display less clumping behavior than sheep, and when grazing undisturbed, tend to spread across the field or range, rather than feed side-by-side as do sheep. When nursing young, goats will leave their kids separated ("lying out") rather than clumped as do sheep. They will generally turn and face an intruder and bucks are more likely to charge or butt at humans than are rams.
I guess I don't think of animals as being stupid. The young ones play, which may have been what you were seeing. They are bighorn sheep, not goats.