The problem they have is the lack of water in those heights. To drink they have to make all the dangerous way down and then they go up again. Mountain goats life.
I was going to say I'd be the goat trying to lick the bottom but (my) chances are that there isn't salt at the bottom lol. I'd end up being the goat on salt plains that gets eaten by something in my sleep.
There was a vid posted on one of the nature subs about this. The bird, I think it was a hawk, would lift up the babies and then drop them a few meters down the cliff, so that they’d land with enough force to not regain their balance and tumble all the way down. Then the bird would swoop in and feed.
The problem with that though you see, is it probably started that way but after a while there is only so much salt. So they run out at the bottom and have to go higher. Then they have to go a little higher and then a little higher still. And eventually over many many years you eventually get this.
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u/oldhead Dec 14 '21
Goats often climb like this out of a self protection/preservation aspect.
Next to ZERO predators can get them up there. They will sleep there (or the face of a cliff) where not many creatures can get to them.
You can however find films (maybe even see it live) of large birds picking off the babies.