Watch: Yellowstone cougar stalks mountain goats perched on cliff

An ecotour company that specializes in wolf-sighting expeditions in Yellowstone National Park has shared extremely rare footage showing a cougar stalking mountain goats on a snowy slope.

“Look carefully above the mountain goats to see a cougar stalking them along the mountainside,” Yellowstone Wolf Tracker stated Thursday via Instagram. “Our Winter Wolf Watch was lucky enough to get a rare glimpse of this big cat at work but the mountain goats survived in the end by perching on a tall and narrow cliff, leaving no room for the cougar to attack.”

The accompanying footage is grainy but viewers can see the goats holding positions as the cougar, or mountain lion, ranges back and forth before exiting the frame.

Cougar sightings are rare in Yellowstone, with an estimated population of only 34 to 42 animals residing in the park’s vast northern range. The stealthy cats prefer rugged terrain and prey primarily on mule deer and elk, plus smaller mammals, notably marmots.

Mountain goats reside in the park but are not native to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem