The Trophy
Both sexes of chamois have sleek black horns, which are
curved at the top. The horns are relatively close together,
however variations occur in the different phenotypes. The horns rise quickly, almost vertically, and then bend back
abruptly into a hook, which goes behind, under and slightly
outwards, whereby the hook formation on males is more
pronounced than on females. The horns of the females
usually has an angle of bend between 90 and 135°, with
the tips pointing almost always backwards, while the
chamois horns make a full semicircle, with the tips of the
horn pointing downwards. The horns of the females have
a smaller circumference over the entire length, and in
cross section, they are more oval than the nearly circular
cross section of the males. Exceptions may occur, i.e.
there are males with horns, which are very similar to
females or vice versa. The chamois horns grow quickly
and early and reach about 95 percent of their length by the
time the animal is about 4 years old. The horns grow as
horn cones over a bony pivot. Each year the newly growing
horn cone pushes the horn cone from previous years to
the top. A distinct groove or ring forms at the bottom edge.
After the second summer, growth of the horn’s length
slows down and after the 5th summer is only about 1 mm
each side add per annum. Quick growth of horns in
younger animals between 2 and 4 years can also lead to
the formation of jewellery rings. Barren goats can see an
annual horn growth of up to 4 or 5 mm, even if they are
older. For chamois older than 4 to 5 years, the circumference of the horns in the horn base decreases compared
to the young chamois. Consequently, the largest horn
circumference in mature male and female chamois is
never found at the base, but just above the horn. With
horns from mature males, an accumulation of resins on
the lower part of the horn surface is often revealed, the
so-called horn deposit, which can be several millimetres
thick.
Male and female horns are measured with the same
formula.
