The Alpine ibex is a large mountain goat-like herbivore that lives in the highest peaks of the European Alps and can comfortably climb vertical walls.
The Alpine ibex is a species of mammal of the bovidae family, of the order Artiodactyla. This species, described by Linnaeus in 1758, is common in the Alps. They use pincer-shaped hooves and their impressive agility to climb even the steepest cliffs, avoiding most predators. But it was their ability to scale even vertical walls that made ibex goats famous around the world.
The Cingino Dam, located in the Italian region of Piedmont, is one of several dams under construction in Europe, but it has become a major tourist attraction in recent years, after photos of ibex species have climbed the river. ‘water. Vertical dams are distributed over the network. From the photos, this animal can be seen moving across the dam in an extremely skillful and incredible way, so it’s no surprise that millions of people around the world are mesmerized by the sight.
Either way, the ibex goats are able to cling to any rock protruding from the dam, which also allows them to roam freely on the 50-meter-high wall and access the mineral to which they are so insensitive: salt.
Stone dams are a valuable source of salt and minerals. Stone dams built with concrete, releasing calcium and aluminum minerals (called ettringite). About 20% of hardened concrete contains ettringite, an important source of mineral salts for them.
The diet of herbivores like the Ibex goat is deficient in salt, and for their bodies to function properly, they need a certain amount of salt from nature. Without it, their bones are not strong enough, their nervous system and muscles are not functioning properly, so they could not survive without salt. In the spring, animals often lick roads that have been treated with antifreeze salt or chew dirt in search of salt. But getting that required amount of salt isn’t always easy.
A precious source of salt that only ibex can access is on the walls of dams like the one at Cingino. Ettringite, also known as Candlot salt, is a calcium non-aluminum sulfate formed during the hydrolysis of
portland cement. And it is a particularly valuable nutrient for this goat, because it contains the calcium and mineral components that keep this goat active.
Photos of this goat perched on the walls of a vertical dam have been circulating online for years now, and while most of them were taken at the Cingino Dam in Piedmont, such behavior has been observed in most other dams in Italy, such as Barbellino, the 65 meter high dam in Lombardy, or the Lago della Rossa dam, a 31 meter high dam in Piedmont.
