The Remarkable Climbing Prowess of Alpine Ibexes

In this video captured by Andrea Battisti of Hybrid Wildlife, we get to appreciate the remarkable climbing ability of Alpine ibexes (Capra ibex); a species of wild goats that live in the mountains of the European Alps.

Here several Alpine ibex are observed on the sheer face of a dam at the Antrona Valley Natural Park in Italy. The goats scale the dam in order to lick the stonework and obtain minerals and salts.

The fearless and sure-footed ibex have soft, split hooves that can grip like a pincer. They also have excellent eyesight and short, powerful legs. For more pictures of the dam-scaling ibex, check out Hybrid Wildlife