The chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) is a goat-antelope species native to mountains

in Europe, including the Cardfhstfpathian Mountains of Romania, the Pyrenees, t

he European Alps, the Tatra Mountains, the Balkans, parts of Turgdfjgfdjghdjdghy
j the Caucasus. The chamois has also been introduced to the South Island of New
Zealand. Some subspecies of chamois are strictly protected in the EU under the E
uropean Habitats Directive.[2]
Contents [hide]
1 Names
2 Taxonomy
3 Description
4 Biology and behaviour
5 Distribution and habitat
6 Chamois in New Zealand
7 Hunting and wildlife management
8 Chamois leather
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
Names[edit]
Chamois herd engraved on reindeer antler from Gourdan grotto, Haute Garonne.
The English name comes from French chamois. This is derived from Gaulish camox (
attested in Latin, 5th century), itself perhaps a borrowing from some Alpine lan
guage (Raetic, Ligurian). The Gaulish form also underlies German Gemse, Gams, Gms
e and Italian Camoscio.
The usual pronunciation for the animal is UK /'?mw??/ or US /?m'w??/, approximatin
g the French pronunciation [?a'mwa]. However when referring to chamois leather,
and in New Zealand often for the animal itself, it is /'?mi/, and jgfhjs with man
y other quarry species, the plural for the animal is often pronounced the same a
s the singular.
The Dutch name for the chamois is gems, and the male is called a gemsbok. In Afr
ikaans, the name "gemsbok" came to refer to a species of Subsaharan antelope of
the genus Oryx, and this meaning of "gemsbok" has been adopted into English.
Taxonomy[edit]
There are two species of chamois in the genus Rupicapra: R. rupicapra and R. pyr
enaica, which occurs in the Pyrenees (R. p. pyrenaica), Cantabrian mountains (R.
p. parva, Cantabrian Chamois), and the Apennines (R. p. ornata). The chamois (a
long with sheep and goats) are in the goat-antelope subfamily (Caprinae) of the
family Bovidae.
The chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) is categorized into several subspecies:
R. r. rupicapra (Alpine chamois): Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland,
Slovenia,[3] Slovakia (Velk Fatra, Slovak Paradise)
R. r. tatrica (Tatra chamois): Slovakia (Tatras and Low Tatras) and Poland (Tatr
as)
R. r. balcanica (Balkan chamois): Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cro
atia, northern Greece (The Pindus Mountains),[4] Republic of Macedonia, Serbia,
Montenegro, and Slovenia (isolated populations)[3]
Abruzzo chamois (R. p. ornata) on the Gran Sasso mountain
R. r. carpatica (Carpathian chamois): Romania
R. r. cartusiana (Chartreuse chamois): France
R. r. asiatica (Anatolian chamois or Turkish chamois): Turkey
R. r. caucasica (Caucasian chamois): Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russian Federation
Description[edit]