Overview
Similar to the Alpine chamois, but somewhat smaller. They have short and stout horns compared to the Alpine chamois. Horn lengths from 8-10 inches (20-25 cm) were recorded between 1891-1913. The short summer coat is reddish or pale brown. The winter coat of long guard hairs over thick underfur is a dark shade of brown. The underparts are pale, the rump is white. Throat, lower jaw, front of face and inside of ears are white, and there is a dark mask from ear to 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
They live at moderately high altitudes and are adapted to living in precipitous rocky terrain. They spend their summers above the tree line in meadows. When winter arrives, they descend to lower elevations. Distribution- The Caucasus Mountains of Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, and also in the Lesser Caucasus of southwestern Georgia near the Turkish border.
Diet
Grasses year-round with an increase in the proportion of dwarf shrubs in winter.
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.
Conservation Status
More information is needed on the population and conservation status of this subspecies.