The goats native to this region have cloven feet. Each hoof has two toes which can spread out, providing balance and leverage, while the soles of their feet are soft and yielding, helping them to grip the bark. The animals also have two vestigial toes higher up their legs, called dewclaws. These are found on many species including cats and dogs, but the goats’ dewclaws are much firmer and stubbier and help the creatures pull themselves up branches, or lower themselves down sheer cliff faces.
The Argan is endemic to the semi-desert Sous valley of southwestern Morocco and to the Algerian region of Tindouf in the western Mediterranean region. The fruit is also a valuable source of oil, and an important source of economy for the Berber people of Morocco. The fruit, which is about 2–4 cm long, has a very hard nut surrounded by the fleshy part that the goats eat. Inside the nut contains one or two, small, oil-rich seeds. The fruit takes over a year to mature, ripening in June to July of the following year. Until this happens, the goats are kept out of the Argan woodlands, because the animals would often eat the fruit before it’s ripe, as well as the leaves stunting the growth of the trees.