MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERIZATION OF CREOLE GOATS (Capra hircus) IN CENTRAL VERACRUZ

Abstract

The diversity of Creole goats (Capra hircus) in the central region of the state of Veracruz, México, was evaluated through a morphometric analysis of five female goat herds in the communities of El Conejo, Los Pescados, Tlalchi, Atecaxil and Xixicazapam, and they were compared with two breeds of milking ability (Alpina and Saanen). The morphological results that the Creole females showed differ in some characters from milking breeds; however, they share features such as size of the ear, direction and consistency. The type of straight cranium is more representative in Saanen, Alpina and Creole animals. The arched horns were the most common for the three types of goats. The composition of the mammary glands, the three types of udders were of greatest proportion, with supernumerary nipples being the most common in Creole goats (14%). The indexes of phenotypical diversity showed that Creole goats from El Conejo (IDS 0.524554; H 0.620387) are more diverse than those from Saanen (IDS 0.233099; H 0.312196) and Alpina (IDS 0.247131 and H 0.380233). The morphological analysis showed that there are significant differences (P<0.05) between Creole populations and milking breeds. The cluster showed three groups, where Creole females from El Conejo were more different than the second group integrated by Tlalchi, Los Pescados and Xixicazapam.