Skull, mandible, and
metapodials of the extinct Harrington's mountain goat (Oreamnos
harringtoni)
Jim I. Mead and Mark C. Lawler,
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 1994, 14(4):562-576
Chester Stock (1936) described a late Rancholabrean species of extinct mountain goat (Oreamnos harringtoni) based on scant remains from a cave in the Great Basin, Nevada. We present a review using cranial, mandibular, and metapodial remains of O. harringtoni from 13 localities in the southwest. The extinct mountain goat is not just a smaller form of the living species, O. americanus. O. harringtoni has metapodials 25% smaller than those of the living species, indicating that the mountain goat is shorter; however, its feet are relatively robust. Its masticatory region is robust but is situated on a narrower face; the apparently longer, narrower face is accentuated by the presence of thinner and smaller horns.