Abstract

The craniometrical analysis of population diversity of the Balkan chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica) from Bulgaria was carried out using 14 skull parameters and 65 adult individuals, originating from the main occurrence areas in the country — Stara Planina, Rhodope, Rila and Pirin Mountains. The data showed a high degree of sexual dimorphism of the skull. The univariate and multivariate statistical assessment of the skull features of Bulgarian chamois, performed separately by gender, demonstrated a high degree of phenotypic craniological similarity between the specimens of the same gender from the four main populations in Bulgaria; it also supported the hypothesis that the present segregation of Bulgarian chamois into the four main mountains characterized by distinctive orographic features did not give rise to measurable levels of their craniometric differentiation.

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