Mountain goats are not avalanche-proof

Mountain goats are high-elevation daredevils, learning to balance upon the steepest of rocky edifices soon after they are born. Nannies lead their kids up gnarly slopes, seeking places that predators fear to tread. While the precarious perches help goats avoid being eaten, there is an obvious downside to these sanctuaries: avalanches. While scientists have long suspected that this life on the edge was risky, they have not really understood the extent to which avalanches affect mountain goats, and whether they instinctively shun, or can learn to avoid, avalanche-prone conditions. While...