CHAMOIS

plural Chamois, or Chamoix (species Rupicapra rupicapra), goatlike animal, belonging to the family Bovidae (order Artiodactyla), native to the mountains of Europe. A chamois is about 80 cm (31 inches) tall at the shoulder and weighs 2550 kg (55110 pounds). Both sexes possess hollow, vertical horns that hook sharply backward at the ends. Colour is variable, but all races of chamois have black-and-white face markings and a black tail and dorsal stripe. The alpine race is chestnut brown in summer, lighter and grayer in winter. A thick underfur develops in cold weather. Chamois live in small herds. The older males join these only during the rutting season (October), when they engage in fierce battles for mates. Gestation lasts 20 weeks, and the usual number of offspring is one. In summer the surefooted chamois ascend to the snow line; in winter they descend to wooded regions. Chamois hunting, a popular sport, has reduced the populations of chamois in many areas. They are now preserved in the Swiss National Park in the Upper Engadin valley. Agile and exceedingly wary, chamois are difficult to approach. They feed in summer on herbs and flowers, in winter on young pine shoots. The soft, pliant skin of the chamois is made into the original chammy, or shammy, leather. The flesh is prized as venison. In the 20th century the chamois was successfully introduced into New Zealand. Gemsbock, a German name for the male chamois, is applied, as gemsbok, to a southern African antelope.