This story was originally Appear in protector and is climate desk Cooperation.
In one corner, there was an agile climber whose horns were like steak knives. The other is the largest wild sheep in the United States. Scientists have found that they are locked in a one-sided battle in the mountainous western United States for resources found in the region’s disappearing glaciers.
At the research site, which spans 1,500 miles in the Rocky Mountains, scientists have documented goats and bighorn sheep scrambling for mineral deposits in rocks as high as 14,000 feet above sea level.
These races, which have never been described in detail before, show that two of the heaviest native mammals in the United States are engaged in a fight that could be affected by the climate crisis as snow and ice in the mountains rapidly dwindle. The conflict between these species “may reflect climate degradation and changes in the nature of the coveted resource,” the new study notes.
The study’s lead author, Joel Berger, a senior scientist at the Wildlife Conservation Society and Colorado State University, said he was “stunned” to see the number of conflicts between the two ungulates, while The goat seems to have the upper hand, or hooves. Goats won 98% of the fights observed, which clearly makes them excellent mountain fighters.
“They’re mountain baddies,” Berger said. “They have these saber-like horns; they’re bolder and more aggressive. Goats have a very high win rate.”
Goats and sheep generally avoid fighting when they are close to each other, but when there is a conflict around mineral clumps, the goats usually drive away the sheep to enjoy the nourishment in peace.
Bighorn sheep are about the same size as goats and have curved horns, similar to Princess Leia’s hairstyle. But goats are even more fearsome fighters because of their confidence and sharp horns – a goat stabbed a grizzly bear to death in Canada last year, and in another extremely rare incident, a hiker in 2010 Olympic National Park.
About 300 glaciers have disappeared from the Rocky Mountains over the past century as global warming has blown the region’s snow and ice. Scientists say it is “inevitable” that places like the famous Glacier National Park will lose all major ice in the coming decades.
The upheaval is destroying ecosystems and causing concern for communities in the western United States that depend on water from rivers and streams from melting glaciers. The melt also found salt and potassium deposits valued by goats and sheep, and they need to lick these mineral deposits for vital nutrients.
The animals were able to move nimbly over rocky slopes, and now, as the ice retreats, they are able to venture into higher mountains to access these resources. This could lead to more of these angry interactions, although it is unclear whether the number of conflicts is increasing, as there has been no previous work on the subject.
“Not long ago, these areas were covered in ice and snow. They are open now, but there are some conflicts over access rights,” Berger said. “Direct conflict is not what these species want, but that’s what’s going on.”
Global warming is increasing the risk of conflict in other parts of the world, Berger said, as creatures such as rhinos and elephants try to access dwindling water resources. Some humans are also reacting to these changes with adversity in mind, with the United States and Russia viewing the melting of the Arctic as a military threat.
“Whether we’re dealing with humans or non-human mammals, we know that climate change is reshaping all of our futures,” Berger said.
