Morphology and functionality of the supraoccipital glands in the alpine chamois Rupicapra rupicapra rupicapra

Abstract The repertoire of behaviour of chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra rupicapra) includes two patterns (horning and marking) related to interactions of the horns with a substratum. To determine the role of supraoccipital glands in such interactions, a histological analysis of 173 glands from chamois culled in October‐December in the central Alps was carried out. For each gland, the degrees of development and secretory activity were evaluated and correlated with sex, age and date of collection, to obtain a clear description of the functional nature of these organs during the breeding season. It was found that the amount of secretion depends on the development of the glands, which is greater in males than in females and is maximal in adult males (4 years old or more) and in subadult females (2–3 years old). That there is a trend in the development to non‐linear dependence on the time dimension within the breeding period was indicated by finding highest degrees of development concentrated in adult males at th...