Читать книгу Trekking in the Silvretta and Rätikon Alps. Tour of the Silvretta, the Prattigauer Hohenweg and the Ratikon Hohenweg plus 12 day routes онлайн

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Undoubtedly the most common mammal to be seen here is the marmot, a sociable and endearing creature that lives in colonies below the snowline in a range of habitats, their burrows sometimes having been excavated beside the busiest of trails. Growing to the size of a large hare and weighing as much as 10kg, the marmot spends five or six months each winter in hibernation, emerging in springtime looking rather lean and scrawny, but soon fattening up on the summer grasses. The well-known shrill whistle – given to warn of danger – is emitted from the back of the throat by an alert adult sitting up on its haunches.

Chamois are likely to be seen from a distance. These shy, agile members of the antelope family have short curved horns, a distinctive white lower jaw and a dark, reddish-brown coat with a black stripe along the spine. The chamois has acute hearing and an incomparable sense of smell, which makes it notoriously difficult to approach; if you should disturb one, it will probably give a sharp, wheezing snort of warning before racing away.