Chamois are among the most popular prey animals since the rise of Homo erectus two million years ago. In folklore, chamois in Tyrol are protected by the Fangga nature giantess. Nimble chamois can ascend the highest peaks, where many a hunter has fallen to death.
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Several species of chamois live wild or in nature preserves today. The common ancestor of chamois appears in the Miocene, 23 - 5 million ya. The range of European chamois includes Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Romania and Slovenia.
Ten years before New Zealand becomes a British colony in 1840, the Māori King sends samples of wild flowers, birds and colorful lizards to Francis I in Austria. Francis returns the favor with six does and two bucks, ancestors of today's New Zealand chamois.
The pronunciation of its name resembles that of the French. The term shammy is applied to certain types of material for polishing. While today the "shammy" is industrially made, the original comes from the scraped and treated hides of the wild chamois.
Chamois hides create soft leather used in clothing and fabric, perfect for early hunter-gatherer nomads who frequent the alpine regions, before widespread fiber weaving. Flint hide scrapers are found in Stone Age sites at the Black Sea and other regions.
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Modern chamois leather might come from chamois hides. More common are hides of deer, domestic goats, sheep, or synthetic materials. If one goes looking for chamois in Tyrol, it's vital to be wary. The animals are under protection of the man-eating Fangga Frauen.
In regions such as Austria, Germany, Tyrol, Italy, England and Switzerland natural science is a zooming trend of the 19th century. All of Europe embraces the discoveries of people such as Germany's Alexander von Humboldt and England's Charles Darwin and Asa Gray.
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People turn to nature as the health consequences of industry take hold, such as lung disease and phossy jaw. Travel, natural science and the widespread publication of books raise interest in the environment, human rights and personal well-being.
A romantic gesture by Francis I, giving an edelweiss to his queen Sisi while on a mountain hike, sparks a craze in German-speaking lands. Found only at alpine heights, edelweiss becomes synonymous with true love, courage and mountaineers.
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The flower almost goes extinct. The new Victorian concept of environmental awareness steps in, and edelweiss comes under state protection. Today several species of chamois are also protected by their disparate countries in parks and reserves.
A fully grown chamois reaches a height of 70 - 80 cm (28 - 31 in) and measures 107- 137 cm (42 - 54 in). Males weigh 30 - 60 kg (66 - 132 lb). They're slightly larger than females, who weigh in at 25 - 45 kg (55 - 99 lb).
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Both male and female chamois have horns although those of the male are thicker. The chamois also has a tuft of hair on its nape, the Gamsbart (chamois beard). It's traditionally worn as hat decor in alpine regions of Bavaria, Austria and Tyrol, at one time as a trophy.
In modern times Gamsbärte are created from various animal hair or synthetic materials. The Gamsbart is made by a Bartbinder or beard binder, a specialist artisan. There are about two hundred Bartbinder active today.
Little ungulates or bovids, chamois are a type of goat-antelope, with curved horns and cloven hooves. Cloven hooves are basically large flexible toes, as opposed to true hooves like those of horses.
The cloven hoof is well adapted to the uneven landscape of mountains. Camels also have cloven hooves to ease walking on the shifting desert sands. Other cloven hoofed animals include cows, sheep, goats, pigs, deer, llamas, alpacas, musk ox, yak and buffalo.
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Stories of satyrs, fauns and the goat god Pan, who are said to frequent wild alpine forests, may be linked to the hoofprints of the chamois. The belief can be buffered by the habit of chamois to forage on moonlit nights. The cloven hoof is also a symbol of the Christian devil.
Indigenous to the Northern Hemisphere, chamois dine on highland grasses, plants and herbs in summer and conifers, barks and needles from trees in winter. Besides moonlit or full moon nights they're usually active during the day, and take a rest around noon.
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Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) are native to Eurasia. Although they're most frequent in alpine habitats they sometimes dwell in forests. Divided into seven species and habitation regions, they are:
R. r. asiatica (Anatolian chamois or Turkish chamois) - Turkey
R. r. balcanica (Balkan chamois) - Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, N. Greece, N. Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia
R. r. carpatica (Carpathian chamois) - Romania
R. r. cartusiana (Chartreuse chamois) - France
R. r. caucasica (Caucasian chamois) - Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia
R. r. rupicapra (Alpine chamois) - Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Slovenia, Slovakia, New Zealand
R. r. tatrica (Tatra chamois) - Tatra mountains in Slovakia & Poland
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From the times of early humans these animals have been hunted for food and more. As prey animals in prehistory to modern times, chamois are known for flavorful meat. Skins are used for clothing and dwellings. Bones make tools, weapons, combs and sewing needles.
The chamois has a role in music. First used in the 15th century, the Gemshorn is a musical wind instrument created from a chamois horn. The name comes from "Gämshorn", the German word for chamois horn.
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In the past, the main predators of chamois are Eurasian lynxes, Persian leopards, golden jackals, gray wolves, brown bears and golden eagles. In captivity chamois can attain an age of 22 years. Average age in the wild is 15 - 17 years.
Chamois inhabit alpine meadows above the timberline, with varying terrain. They may move into forests and steep slopes in winters of heavy snow. Overall the chamois prefer elevations with minimum height of 3,600 m (11,800 ft).
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Chamois are well adapted to their precarious environments and accidental falls are rare. In Europe the chamois fills the niche of the mountain goat. Causes of mortality are avalanches, epidemics and predation. Today, humans remain the main predator of the chamois.
Apart from a few protected areas chamois are hunted in most of Europe including Greece, Croatia, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, Germany, France and Austria. New Zealand encourages hunting. The NZ animals are about 20% smaller than their European cousins.
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Chamois are at home on dangerous hillsides and mountain cliffs. Hunters must pursue them to perilous heights. Chamois can jump almost 2 m (6.5 ft) high from a standing start. In a single leap they can cover more than 6 m (19.5 feet).
In the foothills they're no easier to hunt. Even on rugged ground the swift chamois can run up to 50 km/h (31 mph). Chamois are found on cliffs, in forests and pasture lands. Their sense of smell is keen and alerts them to predators.
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A chamois communicates danger to the herd by stamping her feet and whistling. If threatened the chamois flee. They scramble up cliffs, across rocky slopes, or hide among reclining mountain pines. In winter they try to stay in upper alpine regions.
By this time many of the does are pregnant. They find food beneath the snow, and icy footing at treacherous heights protects them from climbing predators like humans. Visually, chamois tend to scan the lower regions for threats.
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Early human hunters who can climb higher than the chamois, and approach from above, have the best chance of success, but lives are easily lost this way. Because of the danger, hunters are especially celebrated when bringing home the chamois.
Chamois form herds of up to thirty animals, composed of mothers and kids. The young chamois spend their first year learning to survive on the rocky slopes. Usually a mother bears one kid, rarely twins. If a mother dies, other females step in to raise the kid.
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Females remain with the herd but grown males, who are sexually mature at 2-3 years of age, are forced out by competing bucks. The bucks live solitary lives throughout the year and seek out a herd during the annual rut in November (May in New Zealand).
Males in rut rub their horns on branches and twigs to deposit a musky secretion from glands behind the horns. They may do this at other times of year but are especially demonstrative during the rut. The smell allows recognition of individuals by other males.
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This can be enough to make a younger buck back off. During the rut the normally mild-mannered chamois show a vicious side. Dominant males battle younger ones sometimes to the death. Old males may also be killed.
Male chamois who live in forests regularly rub trees with their antlers to display territory. This results in an accumulation of resin on the antlers, helping scientists identify the specific habitat of an animal.
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Young sexually mature males who escape the wrath of the dominant bucks are evicted from the herd. They spend the next several years wandering the mountains and hills. A male comes to his prime at eight to nine years old, time to claim a herd of his own.
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