Equipped to climb

by Wendy Hanophy

First, my disclaimer to all the shameless rock climbing gear-hounds that just flipped to this page: this is not an article on the latest gadgets and where to get them. If you want to know more about the hottest rock shoes, the most durable carabiners, or the best belay device
since sliced bread, look elsewhere. How-ever, if you have any interest in checking out the time-tested tools and techniques of some of Colorado’s most expert “native” climbers, you might want to peruse the next few paragraphs.

Let’s start with a short trip to the backyard to observe two of nature’s best-equipped climbers, the fly and the spider. Often maligned, both arthropods are rightly the stuff of superhero comics, masterpieces of design, able to ascend any vertical surface quickly.

The annoying fly that buzzes around the barbecue and alights on the side of your cold glass of iced tea has feet most climbers can only dream about. It has tiny claws at the end of each foot to grip the rough spots. In addition, each foot has two membranous flaps covered with tiny, sticky, hooked hairs that enable the fly to cling to any surface. Between the claws and the sticky hairs, the fly can walk anywhere it wants; incline is of no concern.
A stroll across the ceiling is effortless. We can try to gain these advantages with “sticky- bottomed” climbing shoes or by putting crampons on our boots to climb ice, but, alas, our footwear pales in comparison to that of the fly.

Spiders, like flies, have special claws and hairs that help them climb, but they also have a built-in protection package. This protection system is all-inclusive, elegant, and simple. Harness, rope, slings, nuts, carabiners, cams, and the like are united into one functional material packaged entirely in the abdomen. Spider silk emerges from the body of the spider in liquid form through tiny spigots on the spinnerets. The liquid silk turns solid when it is pulled, either as the spider uses a back leg to pull the silk out of its body or when the spider attaches the droplet to an object and pulls its body away. This forms a dragline of silk that all spiders produce as they move around in the environment.

This dragline is the spider’s insurance against injury. For example, jumping spiders are active hunters that chase prey. Like a conscientious climber, the jumping spider constantly attaches its silk safety line to objects as it moves from place to place.

Typically, the jumping spider creeps up on its prey and then pounces with a quick jump. In case the spider misses its target, the silk dragline keeps it from falling to its death.

Like the finest kern mantle rope, silk is dynamic. It stretches, absorbing the impact of the fall on the spider. The importance of gradually applying the brakes and gently cushioning a fall could never be over-emphasized for a creature whose skeleton is external and whose blood sloshes freely throughout its body. It’s not just a matter of a jolt snapping a bone here; it’s survival. Silk also has its own natural “dry” treatment, which keeps it from getting waterlogged in the rain.

You will need to travel farther and look much harder to find our next adept climber, the canyon tree frog. This plump, two-inch amphibian is largely restricted to riparian areas in rocky canyons near Colorado National Monument in Mesa County. Look and listen for this frog the next time you find yourself climbing the towering red sandstone monoliths and deep, sheer-walled canyons of that region.

Populations of the frogs can be found in pools sheltered under the vertical canyon walls or within jumping distance of perennial and intermittent canyon streams. Look carefully. Canyon tree frogs closely match their surroundings: they climb camouflaged. They can be cream to gray to brown in color with some darker blotches on their backs. The belly is cream colored with a yellow or orange tinge on the hind legs. A dark edged light spot beneath the eye is the key field identification. If at first you see nothing, listen for a loud, single-pitched, rapid stuttering that sounds somewhat like listening to a rivet gun over a speakerphone. This brief one or two second breeding call is most commonly heard in spring and early summer at night, but is not unusual during the day.

Canyon tree frogs have webbed feet with large toe pads that form a wide adhesive disk to aid in climbing. Cartilage between the last and second-to-last bones of each toe allows flat placement of the toe pad. Experts at smearing technique, canyon tree frogs use surface tension to adhere to seemingly smooth surfaces, exploiting vertical as well as low-angle slabs. Tree frogs conserve their energy during the day by perching quietly in one spot, soaking up some sun. They usually don’t even visit water during the day. At dusk or after dark, the tree frogs move up and down the rocks to feed on insects. By dawn they return to their perches after having taken an early morning dip in nearby pools to re-hydrate.

Ringtails, relatives of the raccoon, can also be found in desert canyons and rocky mesas on the western slope and in southern Colorado. They are slender animals, with a pointy nose and white bushy tail with seven or eight black rings and a black tip. Often called a “rock cat,” there is no finer example on the planet of a climbing animal born to exploit cracks, ledges, and vertical cliffs. Their long tails provide balance on ledges and tree limbs, even allowing ringtails to reverse direction by performing a cartwheel. Extra sharp claws and hind feet that can rotate 180 degrees make these agile climbers capable of quick, headfirst descents. Ringtails can ascend narrow chimneys by stemming in a variety of ways. Sometimes they press all four feet on one wall and their back against the other, and sometimes they press both right feet on one wall and both left feet on the other. They negotiate wider cracks and openings by ricocheting between the walls.

For those who want to avoid the heat and prefer to climb the granite of the high peaks, take a trip to Mount Evans west of
Denver or to Cottonwood Pass west of Buena Vista and observe the mountain goat. The mountain goat lives out most of its life on talus slopes and windswept alpine ledges. The mountain goat is nearly immune from predators in this cold, harsh environment. The name of this animal is a misnomer as the species is more closely related to African antelopes,
and its closest relative is the European chamoisÑalsoÊÊÊ
an expert climber.

The

hooves of a mountain goat have hard outer shells and rubbery, concave footpads that act like suction cups

when weight is applied. These feet give the goat better edging and smearing ability than the best rock shoes. The mountain goat’s legs are relatively short; its body heavyset. This body type puts the mountain goat’s weight and center of balance right over its feet as it moves and allows the goat to negotiate its vertical environment with ease and agility. It is not uncommon for a goat to leap ten feet from one ledge to another, turn around on narrow, icy ridges only inches wide, or pull itself up from ledge to ledge with its front feet. Experienced climbers often have better success on difficult rock in an unforgiving environment, and this is true of mountain goats as well as humans. In many areas of North America, fewer than half of each season’s kids survive the first year of life. Accidental falls and severe weatherÑboth hazards of free climbing, are the usual causes of death.

These are just a few of Colorado’s most “evolved” climbers. There are hundreds of other animals that climbÑeach aided by unique combinations of physical adaptations and behaviors. As you observe and appreciate these special climbers, and perhaps squelch a bit of envy of their inborn talent, please watch at a distance that respects their wildness and does not alter their behavior. P

Wendy Hanophy is a wildlife biologist working as an Education Specialist for the Colorado Division of Wildlife. This article is provided courtesy of the author, the Colorado Division of Wildlife, and the Colorado Department of Natural
Resources.

Illustrations are courtesy of Janet Larsen.