The chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) or Alpine chamois is a species of goat-antelope native to mountains in Europe, from west to east, including the Alps, the Dinarides, the Tatra and the Carpathian Mountains, the Balkan Mountains, the Rila–Rhodope massif, Pindus, the northeastern mountains of Turkey, and the Caucasus. The chamois 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. Names The English name comes from the French . The latter is derived from Gaulish camox (attested in Latin, 5th century), itself perhaps borrowing from some Alpine language (Raetic, Ligurian). The Gaulish form also underlies German , , , Italian , Ladin . The usual pronunciation for the animal is or , approximating the French pronunciation . However, when referring to chamois leather, and in New Zealand often for the animal itself, it is , and sometimes spelt shammy or chamy. The plural of chamois is spelled the same as the singular, and it may be pronounced with the final "s" sounded. However, as with many other quarry species, the plural for the animal is often pronounced the same as the singular. The Dutch name for the chamois is , and the male is called a . In Afrikaans, the name came to refer to a species of Subsaharan antelope of the genus Oryx, and this meaning of gemsbok has been adopted into English. Taxonomy The species R. rupicapra is categorized into seven subspecies: Description The chamois is a very small bovid. A fully grown chamois reaches a height of and measures (the tail is not generally visible except when mating). 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. Biology and behaviour Female chamois and their young live in herds of up to 15 to 30 individuals; adult males tend to live solitarily for most of the year. During the rut (late November/early December in Europe, May in New Zealand), males engage in