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Serpo
15th October 2010, 03:27 PM
Not sure what these goats eat up there but whew..........


You've got to be kidding! Herd of mountain goats casually climb near-vertical 160ft dam



At first look you could be forgiven for thinking this photo of the Cingino dam in the Italian Alps is unremarkable, but for the feat of civil engineering it represents.

However, look a bit closer and you might feel like a bit of a silly billy for not realising those specks on its sheer 160ft face are something altogether more amazing.
See the video below ...
Alpine horns: At first sight the specks on this dam appear appear to be rocks, but on closer inspection .....

Alpine horns: At first sight the specks on this dam appear appear to be rocks, but on closer inspection .....

These incredible pictures show Alpine Ibex goats wandering across the face of the near-vertical dam in Northern Italy without a care in the world.

The gravity-defying goats typically live in very steep and rocky terrain at altitudes of up to to 4,600m and have no fear of falling whether climbing up or down the 160ft dam wall.

And they aren't doing it just to show off.

It is thought the goats are actually grazing, licking the stones for their salts.
Gravity-defying: The goats clearly have a head for heights as they hoof it across the near-vertical wall of the dam
Don't look down: The goats have no fear of falling

Don't look down: The goats have no fear of falling

The photos have captured the imagination of bloggers across the internet including Jolle Jolles, a 25-year-old zoologist working at Cambridge University.

'I have a great fascination for goats,' he said.

'I think they are one if not the most fascinating animals on our planet. Probably most of you might at first not agree, thinking of your favourite animal (as) the panda, lion or dolphin.

'But goats have more to offer than their great grazing abilities.'

The Alpine Ibex is a species of wild goat that lives in the mountains of the European Alps and seek refuge at high altitudes to protect themselves from predators.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1320728/Herd-mountain-goats-climb-160ft-near-vertical-Cingino-dam-Italian-Alps.html

Cebu_4_2
15th October 2010, 03:54 PM
I want to see one scale the top and get over.

SeekYeFirst
15th October 2010, 06:29 PM
'I have a great fascination for goats,' he said.
'But goats have more to offer than their great grazing abilities.'



That's what I think too. ;)
Great dam pictures.

ximmy
15th October 2010, 06:35 PM
i think those are goat mason workers

zap
15th October 2010, 06:38 PM
I love goats, I had a whole herd of them once upon a time, the mountain lions only took 6 months to clean them out once they caught sight of them though, but never did kill the 2 billy's we had, boy those billy goats are stinky !!! and they want to stay close to the house, or stand on the cars.

I still have the horns hanging in the tree though. ;D

Desolation LineTrimmer
15th October 2010, 06:49 PM
What is the point?

Serpo
16th October 2010, 02:17 AM
What is the point?

You will have to ask the goat

Desolation LineTrimmer
16th October 2010, 08:30 AM
What is the point?

You will have to ask the goat


I'm a poor linguist, but I'll take a guess. Assuming the whole thing is not a photoshop, the lead goat is insane, and the others are following the leader.

midnight rambler
16th October 2010, 10:29 AM
What is the point?


The stills and this video show the goats licking the rocks, most likely for the salts in the rocks. These goats make it look easy, as if they're on level ground.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blfaSVFTBnM&feature=related

Desolation LineTrimmer
16th October 2010, 10:52 AM
What is the point?


The stills and this video show the goats licking the rocks, most likely for the salts in the rocks. These goats make it look easy, as if they're on level ground.




This makes sense.

Dogman
16th October 2010, 11:11 AM
I love goats, I had a whole herd of them once upon a time, the mountain lions only took 6 months to clean them out once they caught sight of them though, but never did kill the 2 billy's we had, boy those billy goats are stinky !!! and they want to stay close to the house, or stand on the cars.

I still have the horns hanging in the tree though. ;D


Zap here is one for you.. ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx4WLGa7GaE

gunDriller
16th October 2010, 03:02 PM
That's pretty trippy. too bad there's nothing for the goats to eat on the side of the damn.

i wonder how often one of them falls.

Liquid
16th October 2010, 03:20 PM
Those pics are incredible. Amazing what mountain goats can do.

The italian mountain goats look a lot different than our mountain goats.

I like mountain goats. Years ago my brother and I were climbing a 14er in Colorado (can't remember which one, we've climbed many)...we had a curious mountain goat follow us up the mountain. For hours, this mountain goat stayed about 10 feet away from us. Just followed us up, as we climbed the mountain.

We joked he was the old man of the mountain, watching over us. I actually thought he resembled our late grandfather..and joked about reincarnation.

Somewhere in a box in storage, I have a picture of me on the summit feet up relaxing and, unbeknownst to me..a mountain goat standing on a rock behind me, looking over me.

Mountain goats are fascinating creatures, for sure.