Overview
Their horns are relatively short and thin compared to other chamois subspecies. General color is a dark, smoky brown with a broad, black dorsal stripe. The neck and legs are blackish-brown, being darker than in most European races. Underparts are pale and the rump is white. Throat, lower jaw, and front of face are white, and there are dark stripes across the eyes to the muzzle. Both sexes grow short, slim black horns that are round in cross section and hook sharply backward near the tips. The female's horns can be longer than the male's, but are slimmer and sometimes lack the hooks.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammal
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Bovidae
- Genus
- Rupicapra
- Species
- Rupicapra rupicapra
Habitat
Lives in mountainous high altitude regions. Distribution- Northern and eastern parts of Anatolia (Asian Turkey). The type specimen was described from near the city of Trebizond on the Black Sea.
Diet
Chamois both graze and browse. During summer months, chamois feed on herbs and flowers, while during winter they turn to lichens, mosses and young pines.
Behavior
This is a graceful and agile mountain animal. Chamois usually use speed to escape predators and can run at 50 kilometers per hour (31 mph) and jump 2 m (6.6 ft) vertically into the air or over a distance of 6 m (20 ft). They are gregarious, living in herds of up to 20-30 animals. Older males are usually solitary except during the rut in May-June when they join the females. Chamois are diurnal, feeding early and late, with the middle part of the day spent resting. A sentinel (usually a female) is posted to watch for danger, and will warn the others with shrill whistles.
Hunting
It is best to hunt chamois from above, as their natural instinct is to scan for danger from below. Most chamois hunts in Turkey occur between Sept 15 - Dec 1. November is the breeding season and snow drives them to lower elevations.
Conservation Status
One of the more rare chamois subspecies, and only limited hunting permits are issued annually.