Watch This Goat Speed Run A Nearly Vertical Mountain Like It’s Nothing

Written by Angie Menjivar
Updated: October 22, 2023
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You’ve watched movies with characters, particularly superheroes (and some villains), scale vertical walls as if their hands and feet were sticky. You’ve seen arachnids and all sorts of different insects do the same. You’ve probably even seen a cat scale a wall in an attempt to reach something alluring.

However, this video is of a goat. These goats are wildly confusing. They have four legs like many animals and yet they’re able to scale incredible heights on terrain that makes no sense at all. In this video, you get to witness a goat doing exactly what we just described: scaling a jagged-edged mountainside. Nothing about this cliff face tells you it’s actually scalable.

Watch These Incredible Mountain Goats Scale Impossible Heights In This Video Below!

Watch this mountain goat effortlessly complete a seemingly impossible climb.

But for the goat, gravity is of no concern. This is just what mountain goats do. It zooms right up a cliffside and makes it to a point about halfway up. It pauses for a moment. Then, it continues its climb even further up, as if it were just taking a regular stroll the way humans do in parks and hiking trails.  

Mountain goats accomplish incredible feats. They’re awe-inspiring. The secret is in their specialized hooves. To be able to scale jagged mountainsides like the one in this video, they use their two wide-spread toes. These aid with balance, much like snow shoes. Their toe pads are quite textured and spongy, helping them gain traction as they take each step.

mountain goat

The secret to mountain goats’ climbing abilities lies in their specialized, wide-spread toe’d hooves.

©Ververidis Vasilis/Shutterstock.com

Between their toes, hair grows. This further helps with traction as they make their way up vertical cliffsides. Well, that covers how they’re able to climb up. But how in the world do they get down without slipping and falling to an untimely death?

Well, the backs of their hooves have what are called dewclaws. These are like little anchors that help keep them stable when they descend a mountain. Additionally, since the two toes on each hoof spread out in a v-shape, any knobs or edges on the cliff get wedged in between, which further serves as a makeshift braking system. Their specialized hooves are perfect for mountain climbing. But so are their bodies.

Mountain goats on cliff edge

Mountain goats escape predators and access food on cliff faces.

©Ververidis Vasilis/Shutterstock.com

At first glance, it seems impossible that they carry those rather round bodies around effortlessly, like a ballerina balancing on her toes. However, mountain goats are much more slender than they appear. That slender aspect of their bodies is ideal for helping them keep their balance, even during those incredibly challenging climbs.

Other Amazing Animal Videos You May Enjoy

At Glacier National Park in Montana, tourists witness quite a sight! A bold grizzly bear approaches a moose in the lake. But to the grizzly’s dismay, the moose charges the bear and proceeds to chase it up and down the road! Finally, the frantic bear makes its way into a shop to escape the ominous moose.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Angelina Cecchetto/Shutterstock.com


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About the Author

Angie Menjivar is a writer at A-Z-Animals primarily covering pets, wildlife, and the human spirit. She has 14 years of experience, holds a Bachelor's degree in psychology, and continues her studies into human behavior, working as a copywriter in the mental health space. She resides in North Carolina, where she's fallen in love with thunderstorms and uses them as an excuse to get extra cuddles from her three cats.

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