Abstract :
Several naturalized sheep breeds in the South American continent have little objective
information available and as population size is becoming smaller the need for this information
becomes more critical. The objective of this study was to differentiate between
naturalized breeds in Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia using morphological descriptors and
compare them with commercial breeds. The amount of 928 morphometric measurements
and 2918 weights were collected. Phenotypic characterization was carried out using size,
weight, colour and conformation of the animals, as well as 16 morphometric measurements
of the animals. Phenotypic data were analysed using PROC GLM, CORR and PRINCOMP of
Statistical Analysis System (SAS®). The distance between breeds was carried out using
morphometric and morphological data using UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Method
Arithmetic Mean) method to create a dendrogram. Phenotypic characterization was shown
to be an accessible and easy to use tool in conservation and breeding programs. The breed
was the most important factor to differentiate between the animals measured, and adult
weight most influenced by the environment. Commercial breeds were larger and Santa Inês
animals from the Center-west and Southwest closer to Bergamasca than in other regions
