Baby mammals at play is one of the most adorable and delightful events one can witness just about anywhere. I specify mammals, as I can’t really say I’ve seen much in the way of distinguishable “play” from other classes of animals. That may well be due to being mammals ourselves, and thus being able to identify on some neurological level with the behavior we witness being construed as play.

That said, most of what we observe as play at a very early age in all mammals are the stepping stones and life lessons necessary for integration into a pack, herd or family. While there is certainly a jovial air to the frolicking games, much of what is actually going on is the early steps of mastering inherent skills coupled with establishment of hierarchy within the group unit. Much of the day-to-day activities come naturally nearly straight out of the womb, and as soon as they begin to integrate with other babies, the dominance games enter the picture.

In the case of mountain goats seen here, the ability to navigate what we humans would consider treacherous terrain such as steep cliffs and boulder fields comes within a day or two of birth. The reality being that if they don’t figure it out with the herd constantly on the move, they will likely die separated from the family unit. When the herd comes to an area of rest and grazing, the little ones typically gather and the early formulation of herd “pecking order” begins.

What tends to lend feelings of playful joy in the activities is that all mammal babies get the “zoomies.” This is typically defined as spontaneous bursts of energy that send a youngster into a run, usually out of nowhere from a casual walk or peaceful graze. This is often contagious to the other babies, and suddenly there is a game of chase instigated by the first to run about. In the case of baby goats, one of the more comical zoomie-like behaviors is seemingly uncontrollable leaping into the air, which again often happens for no reason other than to simply get it out of their system.

A few years ago my partner gave me a wonderful birthday present in the way of an afternoon/evening trip to the summit of Mt. Evans just after that year’s babies were born. While it was a cloudy day, with near zero visibility on the drive up (a real “clencher” if you know the road), our arrival at the top proved beyond worth the harrowing trip. The herd had borne a handful of babies that year. It was truly a spectacular gift to take in the games as the little ones broke away from their respective parents and joined together for their amusing life lessons.

I will make a quick aside to note that this image (and others I’ve posted from my encounters with any wildlife) are taken with a longer zoom lens, and cropped a good bit to provide the close up look to the images. I say this as it is always imperative to keep one’s distance from any wildlife, especially babies. While mountain goats are typically not very afraid of humans, especially this herd which gets a good bit of human exposure, it is never a good thing to allow any wildlife to build that kind of comfort level for either the animal or the human. From just the human side, one never knows when one might encounter an aggressive member of the species. Goats can get very aggressive if they have a mind to and have sharp horns to make a point if they deem necessary.

This merry band provided hours of entertainment as they frolicked their way around the alpine tundra. There were games of chase when one would get a burst of energy, usually accompanied by attempts to show dominance in the way of an older one (likely by a day, maybe two) “riding” a younger one. There was a copious amount of leaping about interspersed with the running amok, and among all of it was a nearly continuous game of King of the Hill, as seen here, no truer mountain goat game could there be. All in all, an amazing and delightful day observing and photographing these lessons that will carry them into adulthood.

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