Separating Sheep from Goats

I guess it's a pet peeve of mine...people not being able to distinguish between Dall sheep and Rocky Mountain goats, both of which can be seen from the road in parts of Alaska. It struck me again today as I was thumbing through another Alaska guidebook written by some cheechako who only visits here occasionally. He had a picture of Dall sheep ewes in his book identified as mountain goats. I probably come across something like this a dozen times a year or more.


For the record, the top picture shows a mountain goat, the bottom picture shows Dall sheep ewes and lambs. Goat horns are black; sheep horns are brown. While Dall sheep ewes and young rams have horns shaped similarly to those of a full-grown goat, the horn color is a dead giveaway. Goats are also heavier-bodied animals with much longer hair and a fairly prominent hump over their front shoulders. Goats also tend to grow beards as they get older.