These Mountain Goats Simply Defy Physics as They Climb a Sheer Cliff

This is heart-stopping stuff! These mountain goats in coastal British Columbia are absolute experts at navigating treacherous rock faces. The adult goats make it look easy but you can’t help but worry about the little ones. They are not as experienced as their parents and as you watch the video, you are terrified for their safety. This clip has been viewed more than four million times and we bet everyone held their breath.

Mountain Goats on Rock Faces

At the start of the clip, we see a group of mountain goats traversing a sheer rock face. At first, they are trotting along narrow ledges and are making great progress. Then, they are forced to head upwards and this is when things get really dangerous. One adult heads up a vertical cliff and slides back down several times. Two kids very nearly fall and send loose rocks hurtling downwards as they struggle to get a grip. They seem to be in an impossible predicament.

There are gasps of horror from the human onlookers as the goats try one route after another. The problem is that all the routes are hazardous. Eventually, one adult finds a safe route and is followed by the other adults leaving the baby goats behind! The worse thing about this video is that it ends before they reach safety. However, we learn from the video notes that they were safely reunited with their family.

The Life of Mountain Goats

Mountain goats thrive at high elevations and seem to be able to defy gravity as they scale sheer rock faces. They are found in North America (mainly in the Rocky Mountains, the Cascades and Canada) and live up mountains for some very good reasons.

Mountain goats are herbivores and by scaling cliffs they are able to reach plants that other animals cannot reach. This means that they face less competition. They like to eat grasses and herbs but will also nibble on mosses, bark, and twigs. The second reason is to avoid predators. They are hunted by wolves, cougars and coyotes but these predators are not as good at climbing rocks as they are!

These goats have split hooves that move independently allowing them to grip rocks. Also, the hooves have a soft center but are hard on the outside so they act a bit like suction cups. They also have dewclaws on their inner toes which help to prevent them from slipping.

There was actually no need for us to worry about the babies. They are able to climb rocks when they are just a few days old and after a few weeks they can tackle dangerous terrain like this!

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