Pyrenean chamois
Pyrenean chamois | |
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Conservation status
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Bovidae |
Subfamily: | Caprinae |
Genus: | Rupicapra |
Species: | R. pyrenaica
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Binomial name | |
Rupicapra pyrenaica (Bonaparte, 1845)
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Distribution of Pyrenean chamois |
The Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) is a goat-antelope that lives in the Pyrenees, Cantabrian Mountains and Apennine Mountains. It is one of the two species of the genus Rupicapra, the other being the chamois, Rupicapra rupicapra.
Names[]
- Spanish: rebeco, gamuza
- French: izard/isard
- Galician: rebezo
- Asturian: rebezu/robezu
- Catalan: isard
- Italian: camoscio dei Pirenei, camoscio appenninico
- Basque: pirinioetako sarrioa
- Aragonese: sarrio, chizardo
Description[]
Up to 80 cm tall, its summer coat is a ruddy brown; in winter, it is black or brown, with darker patches around the eyes. Both males and females have backward-hooked horns up to 20 cm in length. They browse on grass, lichens and buds of trees. Sure-footed and agile, they are found on any elevation up to 3000 m.
Conservation[]
Like other species of chamois, it was hunted almost to extinction, especially in the 1940s, for the production of chamois leather. The population has since recovered, and in 2002 was estimated to be about 25,000 individuals. (Pérez et al., 2002)
Subspecies[]
- R. p. pyrenaica (Pyrenean chamois): France and Spain
- R. p. parva (Cantabrian chamois): Spain
- R. p. ornata (Abruzzo chamois): Central and southern Italy
References[]
- ^ Herrero, J.; Lovari, S.; Nores, C.; Toigo, C. (2020). "Rupicapra pyrenaica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T19771A171131310. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T19771A171131310.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- Haack, M. 2002. Rupicapra pyrenaica. Animal Diversity Web. Accessed February 20, 2006.
- Pérez, T., Albornoz, J. & Domínguez, A. (2002). Phylogeography of chamois (Rupicapra spp.) inferred from microsatellites. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 25, 524–534.
- Pérez-Barbería, F. J., García-González, R. (2004). "Rebeco – Rupicapra pyrenaica." Enciclopedia Virtual de los Vertebrados Españoles. Carrascal, L. M., Salvador, A. (Eds.). Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. Madrid, Spain.
- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Caprids
- Fauna of the Pyrenees
- Mammals of Europe
- Mammals described in 1845
- Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte