chamois

The chamois (; ; Rupicapra rupicapra), or Alpine chamois, is a species of goat-antelope native to mountainous parts of Europe and Western Asia, from the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Apennines, the Dinarides, the Tatra to the Carpathian Mountains, the Balkan Mountains, the Rila–Rhodope massif, Pindus, the northeastern mountains of Turkey, and the Caucasus. It has also been introduced to the South Island of New Zealand. Some subspecies of chamois are strictly protected in the EU under the European Habitats Directive.

==Description== alt=Chamois in the Aletsch Forest Nature Reserve in Switzerland|thumb|Chamois in the Aletsch Forest Nature Reserve in Switzerland alt=Juvenile chamois in the Aletsch Forest Nature Reserve, Switzerland|thumb|Juvenile chamois in the Aletsch Forest Nature Reserve, Switzerland alt=Chamois family at Creux du Van|thumb|Chamois family at Creux du Van thumb|Chamois in the Tatra Mountains The chamois is a very small bovid. A fully grown chamois reaches a height of and measures . Males, which weigh , are slightly larger than females, which weigh . Both males and females have short, straightish horns which are hooked backwards near the tip, the horn of the male being thicker. In summer, the fur has a rich brown colour which turns to a light grey in winter. Distinct characteristics are white contrasting marks on the sides of the head with pronounced black stripes below the eyes, a white rump and a black stripe along the back.