An ibex hoof is like a special climbing shoe. It has a hard outer edge for gripping rock and a soft rubbery pad in the middle that sticks to even the smoothest stone. They can walk along ledges no wider than a book, balancing without seeming to think about it.
Mothers and kids live together in groups of 10-20. The males live separately, and only join the group for a few weeks each year. The kids can climb cliffs within a few days of being born - it is the safest place to escape from predators.
Ibex eat tough desert plants - leaves, twigs, even thorny ones. Their tongues are leathery enough to handle the thorns. They get water from the plants and from a few hidden springs they remember from year to year.
In Israel, ibex have become quite tame in some places like the town of Mitzpe Ramon, where they wander down the streets eating people's garden plants. Kids walk past them on the way to school. They are also the symbol of Israel's nature reserves.