Climbing goats at Agadir, Morocco - June 2012
Many thanks to Danielle Petrie for sharing her photo.
The secret to the goats ability to climb lies in the shape of their hooves. The keratin reinforced hoof wall adds strength, while the soft textured sole provides traction and grip. It's also capable of deforming inwards to counter irregularities in the terrain. Their toes are capable of operating independently giving them more of a "grip".
These cloven-hoofed goats only climb one particular type of tree: the Argania spinosa, typically referred to as the argan tree.
The tree is endemic to southwest Morocco. A prickly and thorny tree, it produces small yellowish flowers, which then produce a fairly small fruit. The fruit’s seed is within a nut, which is further surrounded by soft flesh and a tough outer skin.
The fruit’s pulp is what attracts the goats to the argan trees. While the creatures will happily keep all hooves firmly on the ground and graze on low-hanging fruit, once they have gobbled the easy-to-reach produce, they will scramble up into the tree in search of more.
The fruit is not consumed by humans.
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