Chamois have black markings on their faces that look like a mask. Their backs are tan in summer and turn almost black in winter, which helps them soak up warmth from the low winter sun. Both males and females have curved black horns that hook backwards at the tip.
Their hooves are amazing. Each one has a hard rim around the edge for grip and a softer pad in the middle for cushioning - a bit like a hiking boot. With these hooves they can stand on a ledge no wider than your hand, hop sideways across a steep rock face, and run downhill faster than most people can run on flat ground.
Tatra chamois live in family groups called herds. The mothers and kids (called 'chamois kids') stick together; the adult males live mostly alone. Newborn kids can walk almost as soon as they are born. By the next morning they are already following their mothers up the rocks.
This special chamois almost disappeared. Fewer than 200 were left at one point. Slovakia and Poland worked together to protect the Tatra National Park, ban hunting, and let the herds grow back. Today the chamois are still rare, but the numbers are climbing slowly - one of Europe's quiet conservation success stories.