Morphostructural Characterization of the Black Creole Goat Raised in Central Mexico, a Currently Threatened Zoogenetic Resource

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The need to characterize and document local animal populations has gradually gained global importance. This is because these populations represent a genetic pool, and before developing strategies for their conservation, they need to be evaluated. The Black Creole goat, which is distributed mainly in the central region of Mexico, represents one of the first Creole populations, derived from goat cattle introduced 500 years ago by Spanish colonizers. However, morphological and racial standards have not been established for this population, even though the quality of their milk and the social importance they represent in semi-desert areas are known. In the present study, the morphostructure of the Black Creole goat was evaluated using morphometric variables that describe the body conformation of the animals. The results showed a homogeneous population and confirmed the zootechnical purpose of the animals. These results represent the first morphological study carried out on the Black Creole goat and could be the basis for establishing its racial standard. ABSTRACT: In order to evaluate the morphostructural variability of the Black Creole goat (BCG), the present study was carried out in a population of 226 animals from eight localities and 14 morphometric variables were taken. Descriptive statistics for the variables were obtained and 10 of these presented variation coefficients of less than 10%. The degree of harmony in the morphology of the population was determined by the number of positive correlations with significant differences (p < 0.05), including a correlation test using Spearman’s method. In order to reduce the matrix of variables, a principal components analysis was performed, and it was evaluated based on Kaiser’s criteria (eigenvalue > 1). Finally, a hierarchical analysis of conglomerates using Ward’s method was performed using the Euclidean distance to evaluate the distances among localities. Morphometric variables were also included to visualize the relationship among the localities and their average per variable. The results showed that the animals evaluated presented a certain degree of homogeneity and maintained a highly harmonic model. The BCG population showed a high aptitude for milk production, which confirmed the zootechnical purpose of the breed. The BCG populations evaluated maintain similar morphostructural profiles specific to them that can distinguish this population from other animal breeds.