Variation in the Mountain Goat, Oreamnos americanus (Blainville)

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Abstract
The number of mountain goat specimens in major North American collections is still small; 167 skulls were assembled for study. These represent all parts of the geographic range. Absolute cranial dimensions, the coefficients of regression of several skull dimensions against basilar length, and the occurrence of epigenetic variations in the skull were recorded. Samples from mountain ranges south of the Peace River-Skeena River trench reveal few or no skull differences between the sexes, but in northern populations there are large differences. Geographic variation is minor. We conclude that there are no valid reasons for recognizing subspecies within Oreamnos americanus (Blainville).