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Tree Goats
On the bus from Tetuan to Chechauen, a small village at the base of the Rif Mountains, you can look out your window and see Tree Goats. Tree goats quite simply are goats in trees. I am not certain if the goats attract the trees or if the trees attract the goats but nevertheless outside of your window you will see goats climbing in trees. The first time you see tree goats is a bit disconcerting because one normally associates goats with being ground based and trees, well trees are trees. They have trunks branches and leaves and are not a common refuge for four legged livestock. Perhaps Morroccan goats are possessed with a mirth and youthful exuberance which compels them to climb trees, but I know for certain Ohio goats lack this trait and at all times maintain four hoof contact with the ground. Show me a tree with a bird on a branch, a cat hiding from a dog and even a monkey or a Koala bear dangling from it and I'm all good, but the goat thing is hard to wrap my brain around.
Comments
that is neat my goats never get in the trees nice hub
- Author
Thanks much for reading Heidi. Have a great day!
How bizarre is that? What a very strange adaptation. Thanks for the amusing hub! Welcome to HP.
- Author
Thank you for reading! Your right..it is bizarre, I wonder how long it took for them to figure out how to get into the trees to eat? Thanks again!
Fascinating! I wonder if they like the leavesves
in the trees or something?
Interesting -- I wonder how this behaviour evolved.
- Author
It was years ago that I saw this phenomenon and I am ashamed to admit that I was more interested in the visual spectacle rather than learning why this was occurring. I have since discovered that the goats are feeding off the fruit of the Argan tree which is similar to an olive. As if this wasn't enough local farmers follow the goat herds around and harvest their droppings. The goats are unable to digest the seed of the Argan fruit and what I find to be an even stranger adaptation is the locals learned to process the seed droppings into an oil which is used for cooking and the manufacture of cosmetics. Sadly the Argan trees of Northern Morocco have fallen prey to overgrazing and over harvesting to address the cooking and heating needs of the local population. Time will tell what these clever goats will adapt to next in order continue to survive in these areas. Thanks for reading!
Sorry to say I missed this spectacle on my tour of the Atlas Mountains. Too baaaaaaad.
- Author
Jambo sana bwana, kwahari sana
This is freaking bizarre ,I laughed really. Thank you for the new knowledge and a good laugh !!
Ok now I want one.I would surely be the talk of the town.
- Author
Sunshiney,
Thanks for stopping by! I agree, you should adopt a few of these critters, the neighbors will love them, plus they taste like chicken, sort of.
Take Care!
Those are the funniest pictures I've seen in a long time. What a bizarre behavior.
But really, when you think about it, it's only bizarre because not all goats do it.
And really, when you take a step back and examine the thing objectively, are goats in trees any stranger than people wearing lipstick or neckties?
L.T.
That was incredible. Thanks! Your hub was the next best thing to seeing that in person. Wow!
- Author
You are right Itfawkes, I am sure much of what humans do is baffling to goats. Thanks DJ, I appreciate your comment.
MordechaiZ,
I found this to be an amazingly interesting hub. I'd heard of feinting goats before, but never tree climbing goats... I would suggest that you add the comment about them eating the fruit and how the locals use the seeds for cooking and heating to the hub itself. I found that the comment added a lot more to the hub, but not everyone reads that far.
Keep up the good work!
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