Highly sociable they use loud whistles to communicate with one another, especially when alarmed. Marmots are large ground squirrels that live in burrows in mountainous areas and hibernate during winter. The are not native to the Southern Alps and were introduced in 1950 from Corsica by hunters. They have very impressive curved horns, which on males can curve back round on themselves, and weigh up to 16kg. Mouflon are a subspecies group of wild sheep. The male's horns are substantially longer than females reaching up to 98cm in length. They can be recognised by their large, backwards-curving horns with numerous ridges along their length. Its preferred habitat is the rocky region along the snow line above alpine forests, where it occupies steep, rough terrain at elevations of 1,800 to 3,300 metres. The ibex is a species of goat that is an excellent climber. They have since been successfully reintroduced by the Ecrins National Park. Ibex were hunted to extinction in the region in the 1960s. They can reach speeds of up to 50km per hour (31 mph) and can jump as high as 2m vertically and a distance of 6m horizontally. Chamois usually use speed and stealth to escape predators (which include wolves, lynx, golden eagles and humans). They can be found at elevations of at least 3,600 m. They live at moderately high altitudes and are adapted to living in precipitous, rugged, rocky terrain. ChamoisĪ chamois is a goat-antelope species native to mountains in Europe. If you would like to immerse yourself in the Alpine wildlife of the Southern French Alps, then have a look at our wolf tracking trip. Wolves are now well established in the area and there have been lynx sightings. Due to its predominantly alpine landscapes it is home to chamois, mouflon, ibex and marmots. As a result a wide range of wildlife can be found here. The Southern French Alps is one of the wildest and undeveloped areas in France.
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