Abstract
The social behavior of bighorn rams (Ovis canadensis canadensis) and mountain goats (Oreamons americanus) were studied quantitatively under different snow regimes in two winters. It was found that snow cover has little noticeable effect on the intensity of social behavior for mountain sheep during the rutting season. Thick snow cover reduces the total number of social behavior patterns per ram during the postrut; among mountain goats the number of social behavior patterns per individual remains consistently high. The thickness of the snow cover effects circumstantial changes in the function of specific behavior patterns among rams. Under extreme snow conditions, rams begin to exhibit rarely seen aggressive behavior. During deep snow, both species show an increase in overt aggressive behavior and a reduction in dominance displays. Under conditions of low snow and favorable weather rams increasingly engage in clashing, dominance displays, and appeasement behavior and reduce aggressive bulling.
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