Chamois
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Genus: Rupicapra Species: R. rupicapra
Binomial name
Rupicapra rupicapra (Linnaeus, 1758)

See also article on Chamois leather. For the Italian commune, see Chamois, Italy.

The chamois, Rupicapra rupicapra, is a goat-like animal native to the European Alps, to the Corno Grande region of the central Italian Apennines, to the Tatra Mountains, to the Balkans, to parts of Turkey, and to the Caucasus. The species has also become established on the south island of New Zealand.

There are two species of chamois in the genus Rupicapra. In addition to the type species, R. rupicapra, there is the Pyrenean chamois, R. pyrenaica. Chamois are in the subfamily Caprinae of the family Bovidae, along with sheep and goats. The word chamois was borrowed from French. It comes from Latin camox, a borrowing from Gaulish. Chamois are strictly protected animals under the European Habitats Directive.[1]

Chamois live at moderately high altitudes and are adapted to living in steep, rugged, rocky terrain. Their climbing abilities are surpassed only by the Alpine ibex. A fully grown chamois reaches a height of about 75 cm (2½ feet) and weighs about 50 kg (110 pounds). Males and females have short horns which are slightly curled in the posterior direction. In summer, the fur has a rich brown colour which turns to a light grey in winter. Distinct characteristics are a white face with pronounced black infraorbital stripes, a white rump and a black dorsal stripe. Chamois can reach an age of up to 20 years.

Female chamois and their kids live in herds; adult males tend to live solitarily for most of the year. During the rut (late November/early December in Europe, May in New Zealand), males engage in fierce battles for the attention of unbred females. An impregnated female undergoes a gestation period of 20 weeks, after which a single kid is born. The kid is fully grown by three years of age.

The German name for the chamois is Gämse. The male is called a Gämsbock. In English, the term gemsbok has been misapplied to a species of sub-Saharan antelope of the genus Oryx.

Subspecies

• Rupicapra rupicapra (chamois)

*R. r. tatrica (Tatra chamois): Slovakia (High Tatras, Western Tatras and Belianske Tatras) and Poland (High Tatras, Western Tatras)

*R. r. balcanica (Balkan chamois): Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, northern Greece, Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Slovenia

*R. r. carpatica (Carpathian chamois): Romania

*R. r. cartusiana (Chartreuse chamois): France

*R. r. rupicapra (Alpine chamois, type species): Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland

*R. r. asiatica (Turkish chamois): Turkey

*R. r. caucasica (Caucasian chamois): Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russian Federation

Introductions

New Zealand

Chamois arrived in New Zealand in 1907 as a gift from the Austrian Emperor, Franz Josef. The first surviving releases were made in the Aoraki/Mount Cook region and these animals gradually spread over much of the South Island. They are often referred to colloquially as "Chamy" (pronounced "shamy").

In New Zealand, hunting of chamois is unrestricted and even encouraged by the Department of Conservation to limit the animal's impact on New Zealand's native alpine flora.

New Zealand chamois tend to weigh about 20% less than European individuals of the same age, suggesting that food supplies may be limiting. Nonetheless, both males and females can have trophy length horns that match the best in the world.

New Zealand hunters prize the chamois as game. Hunting chamois requires good physical fitness, as well as the ability to safely navigate in and negotiate the rugged alpine environment. Because of the unrestricted hunting of New Zealand chamois, the animals are wary and difficult to hunt.

Hunting and wildlife management

Due to their tasty meat, chamois are popular game animals. Chamois have two traits that are exploited by hunters. The first is that they are most active in the morning and evening. While they are moving around, they are easier to see, so hunters endeavour to be in likely areas during these times. The second trait is that chamois tend to look for danger from below. This means that a hunter stalking chamois from above is less likely to be observed and more likely to be successful. The tuft of hair from the back of the neck, the "Gämsbart" (chamois beard), is traditionally worn as a decoration on hats throughout the alpine countries.

References

• Caprinae Specialist Group (2000). Rupicapra rupicapra. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.

External links

• The chamois in Spain
• ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System) report for the genus Rupicapra