Morphological and Phenotypic Characterization of Creole Goats in rural communities of Santa Elena Province, Ecuador
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Abstract
Phenotypic characterization is a fundamental tool for the identification, conservation, and sustainable utilization of local goat genetic resources. The aim of this study was to characterize the Creole goat population of the Santa Elena Peninsula through morphostructural and phaneroptic traits. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in extensive production systems using a sample of 174 adult males and females selected by simple random sampling. Phaneroptic traits and 20 zoometric measurements were evaluated for phenotypic characterization. The results revealed marked phenotypic diversity, with 14 coat color variants identified, predominantly red (20.57%), bay (13.71%), and dark brown (12.57%). Black pigmentation was the most frequent in mucous membranes (69.54%) and hooves (62.07%), whereas short hair (89.66%) and continuous solid coat patterns (62.07%) were the predominant categories. In the morphometric characterization, body length showed the highest mean value (108.34 ± 10.93 cm), followed by abdominal girth (96.00 ± 10.55 cm) and thoracic girth (84.44 ± 12.72 cm). Coefficients of variation ranged from 3.83% to 44.08%, indicating heterogeneity in the dispersion of the morphometric traits evaluated. These findings demonstrate considerable phenotypic diversity and provide a reference baseline for the characterization, conservation, and sustainable management of goat genetic resources in the Ecuadorian coastal region.
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