Some animals choose to live in environments that most species find completely inhospitable.
In the case of these mountain goats – a term used loosely here to include Rocky Mountain Goats, Ibex, and other species of wild goats – climbing near-vertical cliffs suspended high above the ground is just part of daily life…
The Cingino Dam located in the Italian Alps is the preferred spot for the Alpine Ibex to climb and get a lick of the nutrient-dense mineral salt. There’s just one problem, the face of the dam is a vertical 160-ft wall.
With their split hooves and rubber-like soles, the goats are able to scale the vertical dam wall with total ease.
From afar, it appears that the Ibex are floating or “stuck” against the 160-ft concrete wall. It’s hard to believe that they can climb up this vertical face without a care in the world. These types of goats are used to climbing extremely steep mountain cliffs at altitudes up to 15,000 feet.
The Alpine Ibex easily climb up and down the face of this wall, but it isn’t just for fun or to pass the time. They actually have a very specific purpose for coming to the Cingino Dam, and it’s mostly based on their vegetarian diet.
Because they don’t get enough minerals in their plant-based diets, the Alpine Ibex climb the dam in search of stones encrusted in mineral-rich salt. Some scientists also believe that animals like to lick and ingest salt because it helps neutralize anything toxic they may have eaten.
Source: today98post.com
