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Morphological study of Socorro Island Merino sheep and its crosses with hair breeds

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Abstract

A study was conducted with the objective to characterize the morphology of Socorro Island Merino sheep. A total of 67 sheep, 62 females, 26 purebred and 36 crossbred with hair breeds, and five males were scored for 10 body measurements in addition to live weight, and four racial and seven functional indices were calculated. The influence of sex and crossbreeding on the body measurements and indices was analyzed by one-way analysis of variance, and morphological harmony was determined using Spearman correlation. With exception of rump length, body measurements and live weight were significantly greater in males than in females. Sexual dimorphism was 1.21, with males being 78 % heavier than females. Socorro Island Merino sheep were dolichocephalous, elipometric, with a convex curve rump, and with a high and low morphological harmony for females and males, respectively. They had undefined zootechnical aptitude tended toward dairy phenotype as long as crossbreeding with hair breeds did not affect their functional or productive aptitude. It can be concluded that Socorro Island Merino sheep is a new biotype of the Merino breed, which is necessary to preserve and evaluate as a source of genetic characteristics such as adaptation to harsh environmental conditions.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by PROMEP - SEP through the project: “Caracterización morfológica y reproductiva en ovejas de la Isla Socorro puras y sus cruzas con ovinos de pelo bajo un clima semiseco muy cálido.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad de Colima, Km. 40 Autopista Colima – Manzanillo, 28100, Tecomán, Colima, Mexico

    Juan Augusto Hernández, Marissa Lepe, Rafael Macedo, Victalina Arredondo, Carlos Eliseo Cortez & Omar Prado

  2. Centro Universitario de Investigación y Desarrollo Agropecuario, Universidad de Colima, Km. 40 Autopista Colima – Manzanillo, 28100, Tecomán, Colima, Mexico

    Luis Jorge García

Authors
  1. Juan Augusto Hernández
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  2. Marissa Lepe
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  3. Rafael Macedo
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  4. Victalina Arredondo
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  5. Carlos Eliseo Cortez
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  6. Luis Jorge García
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  7. Omar Prado
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Correspondence to Rafael Macedo.

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Hernández, J.A., Lepe, M., Macedo, R. et al. Morphological study of Socorro Island Merino sheep and its crosses with hair breeds. Trop Anim Health Prod 49, 173–178 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-016-1177-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-016-1177-4

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