Rupicapra rupicapra

Description

The chamois is a sturdy, goat-like animals, about 4 feet long, 32 inches tall at the shoulder, and up to 90 pounds in weight. Females are smaller than males.

Chamois are a chestnut color but are lighter in the spring and summer. The under parts are pale and the rump is white at the tail. A dark brown band runs from each side of the muzzle to the ears and eyes. In the winter they grow long guard hairs over their dark brown under fur.

Both sexes have horns up to 10 inches long that rise directly above the head then hook sharply back at the tips; the horns of the female are slimmer.

A chamois is capable of leaping upwards 13 feet, and of making long jumps opf 25 feet. It is also extremely agile, able to move from one rocky crag to another without care and dashing across an almost sheer rock face. The hooves of the chamois are what make such feats possible. Cup-shaped depressions on the soles of the hooves give a firm hold on slippery rocks, and the points of the hooves, the "aft claws," grip the surface and help to prevent slipping on any but icy slopes. It also has remarkable sight and hearing.

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