Description ⁷

The chamois is an agile and graceful animal, adapted to cold, highland terrain. Its winter coat consists of thick, woolly underfur and long guard hairs, suited to conserving heat in its chilly alpine habitat, and the somewhat elastic pads of the hooves provide reassuring grip on uneven and slippery ground. The winter coat is blackish-brown, with a white patch on the rump and white to yellow facial stripes, while in spring and summer, this is shed for a lighter tawny-brown coat of short, stiff, coarse hairs. Both male and female chamois bear slender, black horns. Measuring up to 203 millimetres, the closely set horns rise almost vertically from the forehead and then bend abruptly backwards to form hooks.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Aleksandar, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Aleksandar
2. (c) Klaus Rassinger, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rupicapra_rupicapra_05_MWNH_501.jpg
3. (c) Klaus Rassinger, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rupicapra_rupicapra_02_MWNH_501.jpg
4. (c) Klaus Rassinger, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rupicapra_rupicapra_01_MWNH_501.jpg
5. (c) Klaus Rassinger, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rupicapra_rupicapra_03_MWNH_501.jpg
6. (c) Klaus Rassinger, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rupicapra_rupicapra_04_MWNH_501.jpg
7. (c) Wildscreen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/2608993

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• ASM Mammal Diversity Database
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• iNaturalist Mammal Working Group
• VertNet

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