January 2026 Photo Information

Animal and Camera Details

January

Species shown: Ibex / Alpine Ibex () & Chamois / Alpine Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra)

Species shown are Alpine ibex and chamois. Alpine ibex are found in France, Bulgaria, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and Slovenia, and have been introduced to ranches in the United States, Canada and Argentina. Hunting of the alpine ibex might have led to its extinction were it not for Charles-Felix, who banned the hunting of the ibex across his estates of the Gran Paradiso in 1821. In 1856, Victor Emmanuel II inducted the Gran Paradiso as a protected hunting estate along with gamekeepers to patrol the area.

The chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) or Alpine chamois is a species of goat-antelope native to mountainous parts of Europe and Western Asia. It lives in precipitous, rugged, rocky terrain at moderately high elevations of up to at least 3,600 m (11,800 ft). In Europe, the chamois spends the summer months in alpine meadows above the tree line, but moves to elevations of around 800 m (2,600 ft) to spend the winter in pine-dominated forests.

This photo was taken in the National Park Gran Paradiso in the Italian Alps in January, with Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500mm at 500mm, f/7.1, 1/1250s, ISO2000