View source for Chamois

{{Short description|Species of antelope}}
{{About|the European goat-antelope|the African antelope|Gemsbok||Chamois (disambiguation)}}
{{distinguish|Chamoy (disambiguation){{!}}Chamoy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Chamois
| image = 064 Wild Chamois Parc régional Chasseral Photo by Giles Laurent.jpg
| image_caption = Wild chamois in the [[Canton of Bern]]
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref =<ref name=iucn>{{Cite iucn |title=''Rupicapra rupicapra'' |amends=2020 | author=Anderwald, P. |author2=Ambarli, H. |author3=Avramov, S.|author4=Ciach, M.|author5=Corlatti, L.|author6=Farkas, A.|author7=Papaioannou, H.|author8= Peters, W.| author9 = Sarasa, M. |author10=Šprem, N.|author11=Weinberg, P.|author12=Willisch, C. |name-list-style=amp |page=e.T39255A195863093 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T39255A195863093.en |date=2021 |access-date=17 February 2022}}</ref>
| display_parents = 2
| taxon = Rupicapra rupicapra
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])
| range_map = Rupicapra_rupicapra.png
| range_map_caption = [[Holocene]] distribution of the chamois
| synonyms = ''Capra rupicapra'' {{small|Linnaeus,&nbsp;1758}}
}}
The '''chamois''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|æ|m|w|ɑː}}){{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} ('''''Rupicapra rupicapra''''') or '''Alpine chamois''' is a species of [[Caprinae|goat-antelope]] native to the mountains in [[Southern Europe]], from the [[Pyrenees]], the [[Alps]], the [[Apennines]], the [[Dinarides]], the [[Tatra Mountains|Tatra]] to the [[Carpathian Mountains]], the [[Balkan Mountains]], the [[Rila]]–[[Rhodope Mountains|Rhodope]] massif, [[Pindus]], the northeastern mountains of [[Turkey]], and the [[Caucasus]].<ref name=iucn/> It has also been introduced to the [[South Island]] of [[New Zealand]]. Some subspecies of chamois are strictly protected in the EU under the European [[Habitats Directive]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31992L0043:EN:HTML |title=EUR-Lex – 31992L0043 – EN|website=eur-lex.europa.eu}}</ref>
==Description==
[[File:012 Wild Chamois Riederalp Photo by Giles Laurent.jpg|alt=Chamois in the Aletsch Forest Nature Reserve in Switzerland|thumb|Chamois in the Aletsch Forest Nature Reserve in Switzerland]]
[[File:013 Wild Baby Chamois Riederalp Photo by Giles Laurent.jpg|alt=Juvenile chamois in the Aletsch Forest Nature Reserve, Switzerland|thumb|Juvenile chamois in the Aletsch Forest Nature Reserve, Switzerland]]
[[File:009 Wild Alpine Chamois Family Photo by Giles Laurent.jpg|alt=Chamois family at Creux du Van|thumb|Chamois family at [[Creux du Van]]]]
[[File:Rupicapra rupicapra - Jahňaci štít.jpg|thumb|Chamois in the [[Tatra Mountains]]]]
The chamois is a very small bovid. A fully grown chamois reaches a height of {{Cvt|70|-|80|cm}} and measures {{cvt|107|-|137|cm}}.<ref name=Macdonald>{{cite book|author=Macdonald, D.W. |author2=Barrett, P. |year=1993|title=Mammals of Europe|publisher=Princeton University Press|location=New Jersey|isbn=0-691-09160-9|url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/mammalsofeurope00macd}}</ref> Males, which weigh {{cvt|30|-|60|kg}}, are slightly larger than females, which weigh {{cvt|25|-|45|kg}}.<ref name= Macdonald/> Both males and females have short, straightish horns which are hooked backwards near the tip, the horn of the male being thicker. In summer, the fur has a rich brown colour which turns to a light grey in winter. Distinct characteristics are white contrasting marks on the sides of the head with pronounced black stripes below the eyes, a white [[rump (animal)|rump]] and a black stripe along the back.{{cn|date=November 2023}}
==Biology and behaviour==
[[File:Следа на дива коза (Rupicapra rupicapra).jpg|thumb|Footprint at [[Rila National Park]], Bulgaria, 2014]]
Female chamois and their young live in herds of up to 15 to 30 individuals; adult males tend to live solitarily for most of the year.
During the [[rut (mammalian reproduction)|rut]] (late November/early December in Europe, May in [[New Zealand]]), males engage in fierce battles for the attention of unmated females. An [[Fertilisation|impregnated]] female undergoes a [[gestation]] period of 170 days, after which a single kid is usually born in May or early June.  On rare occasions, twins may be born.<ref name= Macdonald/> If a mother is killed, other females in the herd may try to raise the young.<ref name= "ADW">{{cite web |title=''Rupicapra rupicapra'' |author=Gunderson, D. |url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Rupicapra%20rupicapra.html |work=Animal Diversity Web}}</ref>
Kids are weaned at six months of age and are fully grown by one year of age, but do not reach sexual maturity until they are three to four years old, although some females may mate at as early two years old.<ref name= Macdonald/> At sexual maturity, young males are forced out of their mother's herds by dominant males (who sometimes kill them), to wander somewhat nomadically until they can establish themselves as mature breeding specimens at eight to nine years of age.<ref name= "ADW"/>
Chamois eat various types of vegetation, including highland grasses and herbs during the summer and conifers, barks and needles from trees in winter. Primarily diurnal in activity, they often rest around mid-day and may actively forage during moonlit nights.<ref name= Macdonald/>
Chamois can reach an age of 22 years in captivity, although the average recorded age in the wild ranges from 15 to 17 years. Common causes of mortality can include avalanches, epidemics and predation. In the past, the principal predators were [[Eurasian lynx]]es, [[Persian leopard]]s and [[Golden Jackal]], [[gray wolf|gray wolves]], and possibly [[brown bear]]s and [[golden eagle]]s, but humans are now the main predators of chamois.<ref name= Macdonald/> Chamois usually use speed and stealthy evasion to escape predators and can run at {{cvt|50|km/h}} and can jump {{cvt|2|m}} vertically into the air or over a distance of {{cvt|6|m}}.<ref name= "ADW"/>
==Distribution and habitat==
The chamois is native to the [[Pyrenees]], the mountains of south and central [[Europe]], [[Turkey]], and [[Caucasus|the Caucasus]]. It lives in precipitous, rugged, rocky terrain at moderately high elevations of up to at least {{cvt|3600|m}}. In Europe, the chamois spends the summer months in alpine [[meadow]]s above the tree line, but moves to elevations of around {{cvt|800|m}} to spend the winter in pine-dominated forests.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
===In New Zealand===
Alpine chamois arrived in New Zealand in 1907 as a gift from the [[Austrian Empire|Austria]]n Emperor, [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Franz Joseph I]] in exchange for specimens of living ferns, rare birds and lizards. Albert E. L. Bertling, formerly head keeper of the [[London Zoo|Zoological Society's Gardens]], Regent's Park, London, accepted an invitation from the New Zealand Government to deliver a consignment of chamois (two bucks and six does) to the colony. They arrived in Wellington, New Zealand, on 23 January 1907, on board SS ''Turakina''. From Wellington the chamois were transhipped to the ''Manaroa'' and conveyed to Lyttelton, then by rail to Fairlie in South Canterbury and a four-day horse trek to Mount Cook. The first surviving releases were made in the [[Aoraki / Mount Cook]] region and these animals gradually spread over much of the [[South Island]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newzealandecology.org/nzje/free_issues/ProNZES11_32.pdf|title=A Note on the Chamois in New Zealand at New Zealand Ecological Society}}</ref><ref name="DOC"/>
In New Zealand, chamois hunting is unrestricted and even encouraged by the [[Department of Conservation (New Zealand)|Department of Conservation]] to limit the animal's impact on New Zealand's native [[alpine tundra|alpine flora]].<ref name="DOC">{{cite web|url=http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/parks-and-recreation/hunting/nelson-marlborough/chamois.pdf|title=Recreational hunting in Nelson/Marlborough – Chamois at the Department of Conservation}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/about-doc/role/policies-and-plans/3.%20heritage%20preservation.pdf|title=Heritage Preservation (p. 40 and 45) at the Department of Conservation|access-date=12 February 2008|archive-date=26 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926125002/http://www.doc.govt.nz/upload/documents/about-doc/role/policies-and-plans/3.%20heritage%20preservation.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
New Zealand chamois tend to weigh about 20% less than European individuals of the same age, suggesting that food supplies may be limited.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzhuntinginfo.com/game/chamois.html|title=Trophy Chamois Buck Hunting New Zealand Free Range Safari Park Record Horns|access-date=1 September 2012|archive-date=4 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204212944/http://www.nzhuntinginfo.com/game/chamois.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Taxonomy==
The species ''R. rupicapra''  is categorized into seven subspecies:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image !! Subspecies !! Distribution
|-
| ||''R. r. asiatica'' (Anatolian chamois or Turkish chamois)|| [[Turkey]]
|-
|[[File:Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica, Olympus.jpg|120px]] ||''R. r. balcanica'' (Balkan chamois)|| [[Albania]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Croatia]], northern [[Greece]] (the [[Pindus]] Mountains),<ref>[http://www.naturalsciences.be/institute/associations/rbzs_website/bjz/back/pdf/BJZ%20137(1)/Volume%20137(1),%20pp.%2033-39.pdf Current status of the Balkan chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica) in Greece: Implications for conservation at Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410032757/http://www.naturalsciences.be/institute/associations/rbzs_website/bjz/back/pdf/BJZ%20137%281%29/Volume%20137%281%29%2C%20pp.%2033-39.pdf |date=April 10, 2008 }}</ref> [[North Macedonia]], [[Serbia]], [[Montenegro]], and Slovenia (isolated populations)<ref name=gams-slo />
|-
|[[File:Rupicapra rupicapra (43012255230).jpg|120px]] ||''R. r. carpatica'' (Carpathian chamois)|| [[Romania]]
|-
| ||''R. r. cartusiana'' ([[Chartreuse Mountains|Chartreuse]] chamois)|| [[Grande Sure|France]]
|-
| ||''R. r. caucasica'' (Caucasian chamois)|| [[Azerbaijan]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Russia]]
|-
|[[File:Kamzík.jpg|120px]] ||''R. r. rupicapra'' (Alpine chamois)|| [[Austria]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[Switzerland]], [[Slovenia]],<ref name=gams-slo>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalna-knjiznica.bf.uni-lj.si/dn_zupan_miha.pdf|title=Mineral Supply and Fertility of Chamois}}</ref> [[Slovakia]] ([[Greater Fatra|Veľká Fatra]], [[Slovak Paradise]]) and [[New Zealand]] (introduced).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bio13Tuat02-t1-body-d3.html |title=Introduced Ungulates in New Zealand — (c) Chamois |access-date=18 November 2023 |archive-date=18 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118204948/https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bio13Tuat02-t1-body-d3.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Nízké Tatry, Dereše (5).JPG|120px]] ||''[[Tatra chamois|R. r. tatrica]]'' (Tatra chamois)|| Slovakia ([[Tatras]] and [[Low Tatras]]) and [[Poland]] ([[Tatras]])
|-
|}
==Hunting and wildlife management==
[[File:Gamsbaerte 2194.jpg|thumb|Gamsbarts on hats at the [[Oktoberfest]] in [[Munich]]]]As their meat is considered tasty,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tschohl |first1=Christl |title=Chamois goulosh: wild on wild |url=https://www.montafon.at/en/service/cuisine/montafon-recipes/gamsgulasch |website=Montafan.at |publisher=Montafon Tourismus GmbH |access-date=12 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213005551/https://www.montafon.at/en/service/cuisine/montafon-recipes/gamsgulasch |archive-date=13 February 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> chamois are popular [[Game (food)|game]] animals. Chamois have two traits that are exploited by hunters: the first is that they are most active in the morning and evening when they feed; the second is that they tend to look for danger originating from below, which means that a hunter stalking chamois from above is less likely to be observed and more likely to be successful.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nzhuntinginfo.com/articles/beginners.html|title=Beginners Chamois Hunting Guide}}</ref>
The tuft of hair from the back of the neck, the ''[[gamsbart]]'' (chamois "beard"), is traditionally worn as a decoration on hats throughout the alpine countries.
==Chamois leather==
[[File:Chamois-natural.jpg|thumb|Chamois leather]]
{{Main|Chamois leather}}
Chamois leather, traditionally made from the [[hide (skin)|hide]] of the chamois, is very smooth and absorbent and is favoured in cleaning, buffing, and polishing because it produces no scratching. Modern chamois leather may still be made from chamois hides, but hides of [[deer]] or domestic [[goat]]s or [[sheep]] are much more commonly used.{{cn|date=July 2024}}
===Chamois fabric===
An artificial fabric known as "chamois" is made variously from [[flannel|cotton flannel]], [[Polyvinyl acetate|PVA]], viscose, and other materials with similar qualities. It is [[Nap (textile)|napped]] to produce a [[plush]] surface similar to [[moleskin]] or chamois leather.{{cn|date=July 2024}}
[[File:Gemse01.JPG|thumb|Chamois on the [[Piz Beverin]] mountain, Switzerland]]
[[File:Chamois R R Carpatica.JPG|thumb|Chamois in the [[Retezat Mountains]]]]
==See also==
* [[Cantabrian chamois]]
* [[Pyrenean chamois]]
* [[Tatra chamois]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Wikispecies|Rupicapra rupicapra}}
{{Commons}}
*[https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=625159 ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System) report for the species Chamois]
*[http://www.fishinghuntinginfo.com/hunting/deerbig-game-species/chamois-nz/ New Zealand Chamois and their distribution in New Zealand]
*[http://duretskis.co.uk/Rupicabra%20rupicabra.html Chamois is the logo for the French ski manufacturer – Duret] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306144125/http://duretskis.co.uk/Rupicabra%20rupicabra.html |date=6 March 2016 }}
*{{Wikisource-inline|list=
**{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Chamois|short=x |noicon=x}}
**{{Cite Americana|wstitle=Chamois|short=x |noicon=x}}
}}
{{Artiodactyla|R.3}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q131340}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Caprids]]
[[Category:Mammals of Europe]]
[[Category:Mammals of New Zealand]]
[[Category:Mammals of West Asia]]
[[Category:Mammals of Azerbaijan]]
[[Category:Mammals of Russia]]
[[Category:Fauna of Italy]]
[[Category:Mammals described in 1758]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Habitats Directive species]]