HTML5: Up and Running

Colophon

The animal on the cover of HTML5: Up and Running is an alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), a goat- or antelope-like species that is native to the mountain ranges of Europe, including the Carpathians, the Apennines, the Tatras, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and the Alps. Alpine chamois can also be found in New Zealand, having been introduced there in 1907 by Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I.

Alpine chamois live at relatively high altitudes, and have adapted to steep, rugged, and rocky terrain. They grow to a size of about 75 centimeters tall and weigh between 20 and 30 kilograms (though individuals in New Zealand often weigh about 20 percent less than their European brethren). Both males and females sport short horns that curve backward near the tip and fur that is dark brown during the summer and light gray in the winter. Many chamois also display a characteristically white face and rump, with black stripes under the eyes and along the back.

Adult male chamois live mostly solitary lives, only congregating once a year to compete for the attention of unmated females. Females, however, live in herds with their young. All variety of chamois are popular game animals; their meat is considered tasty and their leather is known to be exceptionally smooth and absorbent. Also, a tuft of hair taken from the back of the neck of a chamois, called a gamsbart, is traditionally worn as a hat decoration throughout the alpine countries. This practice may be slightly more difficult in modern times, ...