Standing on almost nothing
How Do Goats Climb Cliffs?
Goats stand on ledges narrower than their own hooves, on walls steep enough that a person would need ropes.
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Step 1 of 5
Each hoof is two toes.
A goat's hoof splits down the middle into two halves that spread apart. Two contact points instead of one grip an uneven rock the way two fingers grip better than a fist.
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Step 2 of 5
Hard rim, soft middle.
The outer edge is hard keratin that bites into rough stone like a crampon. Inside it is a soft pad that squashes onto the rock and grips by friction, like a climbing shoe.
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Step 3 of 5
The weight stays over the feet.
Goats keep their body close in to the rock face. Lean out and your weight pulls you off; stay tucked in and it presses down through the hooves onto the ledge.
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Step 4 of 5
Small feet fit small ledges.
A goat is heavy but its feet are tiny, so it can use a ledge a few centimetres wide. A bigger foot would need a bigger ledge, and the mountain does not have many.
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Step 5 of 5
Kids climb within days.
A goat kid is up and balancing on rock almost immediately. Animals born somewhere with nowhere safe to lie down do not get a helpless stage.
Some goats climb trees. In parts of Morocco whole herds stand in argan trees eating the fruit, several metres off the ground.
The short version
Goats climb cliffs on hooves that split into two toes, each with a hard gripping rim around a soft rubbery pad.
Try it yourself
Try standing on a doorstep edge with the ball of your foot, then with the whole sole. The small hard edge grips better.