Southern Chamois
The Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) is a goat-antelope that lives in the Pyrenees and Cantabrian Mountains of Spain, France and Andorra, and the Apennine Mountains of central Italy. It is one of the two species of the genus Rupicapra, the other being the chamois, Rupicapra rupicapra. == Names == Aragonese: sarrio, chizardo Asturian: robecu/robezu Basque: pirinioetako sarrioa Catalan: isard French: izard/isard Galician: rebezo Italian: camoscio dei Pirenei, camoscio appenninico Occitan: isard, sarri Spanish: rebeco, gamuza == Subspecies == == 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 2022 was estimated to be about 50,000 mature individuals.
Picos de Europa National Park
Posada de Valdeón, Spain
+120 birds+17 mammals
Where limestone peaks pierce the Asturian sky at nearly 2,700 metres, three colossal massifs create a fortress of vertical rock […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKPosets–maladeta Natural Park
Benasque, Spain
+121 birds+29 mammals
Where granite peaks pierce the Pyrenean sky at over 3,300 metres, the Posets–Maladeta massif commands one of Spain’s most dramatic […]
VIEW NATURAL PARKD’Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park
la Vall de Boí, Spain
+106 birds+15 mammals
Granite peaks rise dramatically from crystalline lakes in Spain’s Pyrenean heartland, where torrential streams cascade through meadows studded with alpine […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKOrdesa y Monte Perdido National Park
Sobrarbe, Spain
+121 birds+29 mammals
Where limestone cliffs rise nearly a thousand metres in sheer vertical walls, the Pyrenees reveal their most dramatic visage. Ordesa […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKAlt Pirineu Natural Park
Cassibrós, Spain
+95 birds+22 mammals
Where granite peaks scrape the Catalan sky and ancient beech forests give way to high alpine meadows, one of the […]
VIEW NATURAL PARKMontaña Palentina Nature Park
Vidrieros, Spain
+86 birds+15 mammals
Where granite massifs rise above 2,200 metres and beech forests give way to alpine meadows, Spain’s northern interior reveals a […]
VIEW NATURAL PARKRedes Nature Park
Arrobio, Spain
+78 birds+16 mammals
Where granite gorges slice through the Cantabrian mountains, beech forests rise in cathedral-like stands above cascading streams and alpine meadows. […]
VIEW NATURAL PARKPonga Nature Park
San Juan de Beleño, Spain
+35 birds+8 mammals
Where limestone cliffs plunge into emerald valleys, the Picos de Europa rise dramatically above the Asturian countryside, their jagged peaks […]
VIEW NATURAL PARKCadí Moixeró Nature Park
Bagà, Spain
+122 birds+30 mammals
Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park is one of the largest and most spectacular protected areas in Catalonia, located in the heart of […]
VIEW NATURAL PARKValles Occidentales Nature Park
Siresa, Spain
+76 birds+11 mammals
Where granite gorges slice through the western Pyrenean foothills, steep valleys carved by ancient rivers create a mosaic of Mediterranean […]
VIEW NATURAL PARKBosques de Plan
San Juan de Plan, Spain
+123 birds+30 mammals
Where granite peaks plunge into beech and fir forests, the Pyrenean valleys of Bosques de Plan unfold in dramatic tiers […]
VIEW FOREST & JUNGLERegional Park of the Catalan Pyrenees
Olette, France
+120 birds+30 mammals
Where granite peaks thrust skyward above cloud-laden valleys, a wild tapestry of Mediterranean and alpine ecosystems interweaves across the Franco-Spanish […]
VIEW NATURE RESERVECapçaleres del Ter i del Freser Nature Park
La Farga, Spain
+108 birds+20 mammals
Where granite peaks claw at the Catalan sky, alpine meadows and ancient beech forests unfold across nearly 300 square kilometers […]
VIEW NATURAL PARKDella Majella National Park
Pacentro, Italy
+53 birds+14 mammals
Where limestone massifs pierce the Apennine spine, a realm of vertical drama unfolds across nearly 75,000 hectares of pristine Italian […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKGran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park
Pietracamela, Italy
+78 birds+18 mammals
Where granite massifs pierce the Apennine spine, weathered limestone cliffs rise from verdant beech forests in a landscape of dramatic […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSibillini Mountains National Park
Ussita, Italy
+123 birds+27 mammals
Where limestone ridges claw toward 2,476 metres, ancient beech forests surrender to alpine meadows and windswept crags that define the […]
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSomiedo Natural Park
Pola de Somiedo, Spain
+120 birds+30 mammals
Where granite gorges cleave through the Cantabrian Mountains of northern Spain, alpine meadows roll toward beech and oak forests in […]
VIEW NATURAL PARKSierra de Boumort
Segan, Spain
+125 birds+29 mammals
Where granite gorges slice through the Catalan Pyrenees, ancient limestone cliffs rise in dramatic ramparts above dense Mediterranean forests. This […]
VIEW MOUNTAIN & ALPINEBosc de Virós
Ainet de Besan, Spain
+121 birds+30 mammals
Where granite gorges slice through the eastern Pyrenees, a temperate wonderland emerges in the borderlands between Spain and Andorra. Bosc […]
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