A case of 4 year old female sheep-goat hybrid born under natural conditions in Namibia
Keywords:
Sheep-goat hybrid, DNA profiling, microsatellite markers, hybrid vigour, Namibia.
Abstract
This article reports a 4 year old female sheep x goat interspecific hybrid born under natural conditions in Namibia. Repetitive DNA sequencing using microsatellite markers was used to confirm the hybrid. Morphological characteristics of the sheep-goat hybrid had higher parameters in terms of heart girth, height at withers and trunk length compared to other animals in the flock. The weight of hybrid was 74 kg while the weight of its dam, a goat doe, was 42 kg and the possible sire, a sheep ram, weighed 51 kg. The hybrid had long and thick tail, a head resembling a sheep whereas its skin, horns, and teats were like those of a goat and its legs were relatively long. The hybrid conceived on two occasions with a buck, but aborted at about 4 months into the pregnancy. The hybrid in terms of body weight and dimensions was bigger than common goats and sheep found in the rural livestock traditional farming area of the region possibly indicating hybrid vigour. The hybrid’s large size brings hope about need of more research and breeding and the possibility towards cloning of such animals using nuclear transfer technology for increased meat production in future. The authors believe this is the first documented report of a sheep-goat hybrid from Namibia, and third in Africa, that lived normally for a long time to full adulthood and even conceived, even though the conceptus was aborted.References
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2. Mayr, E., Animal Species and Evolution. The Balkan Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. 1969, pp448-480.
3. Gray, A.P., Mammalian hybrids. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Farnham Royal, Slough SL2 3BN, England, 1972 pp 240-260.
4. Jainudeen, M.R., Hafez, E.S.E.,Genetics of reproductive failure. In: Hafez, E.S.E. (Ed.), Reproduction in Farm Animals, 6th Edition. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia, 1993, pp. 298±311.
5. Marki, U. and Osterhoff, D. R. Disproval of an apparent goat x sheep hybrid. Journal of South Afric.Vet Association. 1984 (3); 133-134
6. Stewart-Scott, I A., Pearce, P. D., Dewes, H. F., and Thompson, J. W. A case of a sheep-goat hybrid in New Zealand. N. Z. Vet. J. 1990, 38(1): 7-9 DOI 1080/00480169 1990.35605
7. Mine, O. M., Kedikilwe, R. T, Ndebele and Nsoso, S. J. Sheep-goat hybrid born under natural conditions. Small Ruminant Research, 2000, 37 141-145.
8. Nijman, I. J., Hogendoorm, M. P., Gruys, E, Luikart, G., Ortugrul, O., Zagdsuren, Y. at al. Detection of Sheep-goat interspecies hybridization by analysis of satellite DNA. Online Journal of Veterinary Research, 2002, 1, 1-6.
9. Tella, A. A Review on Bioinformatics in Animal Breeding and Research on
Disease Resistance UNZA J. Agri. and Biom. Sci 2023, (8) (1) 40-52. doi
10.53974/unza.jabs.8.1.1293
10. Devendra, C., McLeroy, G.B., Goat and Sheep Production in the Tropics. ELBS/Longman, London, UK. 1988, PP 338-352.
11. Sabry, E. I. and Almasri, O. Stocking density, ambient temperature, and group size affecting social behavior, productivity and reproductivity of goats - A review Tropical Animal Health and Production 2023, 55:181- 188 DOI:10.1007/s11250-023-03598-0
12. Katongole, J.B.D., Madimabe, M.J., Sebolai, B., Morphological characterization of Tswana goats. Proceedings of the Third Biennial SRNET Conference. Kampala, Uganda, 1996, 5-9 December.
13. Pinheiro, L. E. L, Guimaraes, S. E. F. Almeida Jr, I. L. and Mikich, A. B. The natural Occurrence of Sheep X goat hybrid. Theriogenology 1996, 32(6):987-994 13.
14. Animut, G. and Goetsch A. L. Co-grazing of sheep and goats: Benefits and constraints Small Ruminant Research 2008, 77(2-3):127-145, 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2008.03.012
15. Aziz, M. A. Present status of the world goat populations and their productivity, King Faisel University, Al-ansa, Saudi Arabia. 2010, 45(2): 42-48.
Published
2025-05-14
How to Cite
1.
Naunyango M, Harper C, Pandey G. A case of 4 year old female sheep-goat hybrid born under natural conditions in Namibia. Journal of Agricultural and Biomedical Sciences [Internet]. 14May2025 [cited 1Jun.2025];8(4). Available from: https://journals.unza.zm/index.php/JABS/article/view/1360
Section
Veterinary Medicine
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