Morphological characterization of the Pelibuey sheep of Yucatan, Mexico

• J. G. Romualdo ^[1] ; A. C. Sierra ^[1] ; J. S. Hernandez ^[1]
  1. [1] Instituto Tecnológico Agropecuario No. 2. Conkal, Yucatán, México
• Localización: Archivos Latinoamericanos de Producción Animal, ISSN 1022-1301, ISSN-e 1022-1301, Vol. 12, Nº. 4, 2004 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Supl. 1. II Simposio Iberoamericano sobre Recursos Genéticos)
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Three data bases or stratums: I. The Secretariat of Agriculture, Cattle, Rural Development, Fishing and Feeding, II. Specialized Local Cattle association of sheep farmers of Mérida and, III. Local Cattle Union of Tízimin was used to characterize morphometrically the Pelibuey sheep breed of the state of Yucatan, Mexico. Sample size and producer were determined within stratums. A total of 369 animals within breed standards, males and females, and over a year of age were selected and classified by stratum and coat color: coffee, white, and pinto. Five phaneroptical and 11 morphostructural characteristics in addition of the body weight were registered by animal. All animals presented coffee eyes, tongue without pigmentation dominates for the coffee (20%) and white (24%) coat colors, whereas for the pinto dominates the pigmented tongue (66%). Black hooves dominate in the coffee coat color individuals (57%), faulty colored hooves in the white (68%), and marbled hooves in the pinto (75%). Wooly (30%) and wattled (2%) individuals were common among coat colors. Differences among stratums of live weight, head length, length of the neck, length of hip, and the longitudinal diameter in males; and neck length, wither height, length of hip, width of hip, and thorax perimeter in the females were not significant (P>0.05). Whereas, hip width in males and head width in females differed significantly among coat colors (P