Every single wild animal has a special
environmental niche that it occupies to survive, and wild mountain goats
have evolved to occupy some of the weirdest and most hard-to-reach
ecological
niches out there – steep cliff faces
These goats aren’t crazy – the cliffs
they spend most of their lives on confer numerous benefits, including
protection from land-bound predators, foraging, and access to mineral
licks. The harsh winds that sweep these cliffs clear of snow also expose
the hardy grasses that these goats eat as well as the exposed mineral
salts that they like to lick
Some of the goats pictures here are
Rocky Mountain goats from the U.S. This species is technically a
goat-antelope, but the other goats pictured here, like the alpine ibex
or the chamoix, are true goats
