Purpraen Mountain Goat

Basic Information

Anatomy

Purpraen mountain goats have for limbs that are dense with muscles. Their are incredibly fit and built to climb enormous mountains in a short amount of time. These goats can jump adeptly from one ledge to the next, even jumping 20 feet in a single bound. These goats have the capability to leap straight up, they do this by hooking their hooves over the top of a rock then they use their back legs to pull up over the ridge. Their skeletons have a distinctive shape and size to protect their vital organs, making it very complex. They provide strong support and work together to allow the goat to function properly in a mountainous terran so it can escape predators, search for food, and care for their young properly.
The fur of this particular mountain goat is a bizarre purple. Purple fur has never been seen anywhere else in the world. The reason for this coloration is due to the flowers that make up the majority of its diet, the Shaede Blossom. The anthocyanin in these flowers bonded with the hair folicles of this goat and they are now born a natural purple.
It has enormous antlers on its head that curve backward. These antlers are found on both the males and the females, though the females' horns are often shorter.

Genetics and Reproduction

Mating season for mountain goats, called the rut, occurs annually. Their social order is matriarchal in nature and male goats, or billies, are only dominant during peak mating season. Some fighting over females, or nannies, occurs during the rut and males often show evidence of puncture wounds from these battles. The hide of the male goat actually thickens on the haunches at this time of year to protect it from rival attacks.
The presence of adults with kids is a sure way to distinguish between billy and nanny goats. Newborn mountain goats are able to keep up with their mothers within hours of birth, but are very small and vulnerable to predators. Kids generally stay with their mothers until the next breeding season. The mountain goat can live up to 14 or 15 years in the wild, but most do not live more than 12 years. They will often die when their teeth are worn down to the gum line – thereby impeding their ability to chew and digest food. In captivity, have been known to live for 16 to 20 years.
These goats are polygynous, meaning the male will take multiple mates. The ritual of mating starts in the cooler seasons. The bucks will eyes the does, rutting in pits, and fighting each other in showy and dangerous scuffles where they ram their horns together.
A nanny (female) purpraen mountain goat reaches puberty around 25-30 months of age depending on the level of nutrition and overall health of the goat. If she has been under-fed or malnourished in her life, it lowers her chances of gettnig pregnant and having kids, it will also reduce milk production if pregnancy is successful. Puberty occurs when she goes through heat and has her first ovulation.

Ecology/Habitat

The optimal environment for the purpraen mountain goat is the Ikupaya Hillock and the The Purpraen Flowerlands. The hillock is where they spend the majority of their time and where they breed and birth their young. The flowerlands are where they feed, coming down from the hillock's security to saciate their unusual craving for the shaede blossom.

Dietary Needs

Like most herbivores, the purpraen mountain goat's diet mainly consists of vegetation. This particular mountain goat has an unusual craving for shaede blossoms, a flower that blooms most often in The Purpraen Flowerlands of Tu'chûn. It is these flowers that give the goat its natural purple coat. These flowers are found all over at the base of the small mountains thse goats call home. The goat will trek down the mountain once a day to graze in the fields, always on high alert for predators.
The Crag Saber is their natural predator and stalks along the cliff side, blending with the stone.
The period of estrus for the nanny is when she will stand around and allow the billie (male) to mount her. This phase of her reproductive cycle will last up to 36 hours. The entire estrous cycle (heat cycle) of the nanny is about 48 days, meaning she will only be willing to breed every two months. When she is in heat, she will exhibit many signs (such as mucous discharge from her vuvla, frequent bleating, wagging her tail, and pacing.)
The gestation period of the purpraen mountain goat ranges from 150-175 days on average. Under normal circumstances, the doe will birth multiple kids (usually twins or triplets.)

Purpraen Mountain Goat by Generated via Midjourney

You all know of the shaede blossom in the fields of Purprae. You may also know that those fields are often picked clean! That is due to the greedy goats of Ikupaya. They will wander about in search of those flowers in a restless fervor until they have eaten their fill.

— Irivi Fal'anir

Additional Info

Growth Stages

Pregnancy

The nanny has a gestation period of 150-175 days, but can be affected by breed, litter weight, environment, and parity. Generally, first-kidding does have one or two kids, and in subsequent kiddings, triplets and quadruplets are not uncommon among seasoned mothers.

Kid (Baby)

When born, the kid will weight a little over 9 lbs (4 kg). They will begin to run and climb (or at least attempt to do so) within a few hours. They are usually weaned from their mothers within one month, but they will stay close to them for the entire first year of their life, as the mother will protect them from predators and lead them out of danger. Kids are carefully guarded by their mothers and although these nannies isolate prior to giving birth, they congregate with other mothers and newborns to form nursery herds.

Nanny/Billie

They will reach reproductive maturity at about 25-30 months of age, and it is here that the nannies will have their first estrus and the billie will begin courting.

Lifespan

15-18 years

Average Height

At shoulder: 12ft (3.65 m)

Average Weight

400-600 lbs (181.43-272.15 kg)

Average Length

13 ft (3.96 m)

Geographic Distribution

• The Purpraen Flowerlands