The Moroccan countryside is home to the Argan tree, an evergreen plant that grows to about 25 or 30 feet high, and produces a round fruit that's similar to an olive. It's a pretty unremarkable tree in all respects except for one. It is the only known home of the tree goat. Tree goats. Goats, in trees.
I am not making this up.
Figure 1: Goats in trees. Tree goats.
Apparently the local goats have become quite skilled at scaling the gnarled trunks of the Argan tree to reach the otherwise inaccessible fruit growing on the upper branches. Unfortunately, it seems the goats have become TOO adept at climbing, and are currently eating their way through vast swaths of Argan trees, threatening the future of the dry southwest Moroccan ecosystem. One can't help but wonder what kind of damage would be done if these agile grazers were to escape their current habitat and spread throughout the world, just climbing and eating everything in sight. Would anyone be able to stand up and fight them? It is thoughts like these that keep me up at night.
Figure 2: The Face of Terror
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