Characterization of a unique Sikkimese yak population of India: a multivariate approach

Native Sikkimese yak in Sikkim state of India is a pastoral treasure being raised through centuries-old transhumance practices and has evolved in response to natural and man-made selection. Currently, the population of Sikkimese yak is at risk with about five thousand total headcounts. Characterizat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Tropical animal health and production 2023-06, Vol.55 (3), p.208-208, Article 208
Main Authors: Aggarwal, R. A. K., Kour, Aneet, Gandhi, R. S., Niranjan, S. K., Paul, Vijay, Bhutia, Tenzing Lobsang, Bhutia, Karma Doma
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Body length
Cattle - genetics
Conservation
Discriminant analysis
Endangered populations
Female
Horns
India
Life Sciences
Male
Phenotype
Principal components analysis
Regular Articles
Sikkim
Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science
Zoology
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Summary:Native Sikkimese yak in Sikkim state of India is a pastoral treasure being raised through centuries-old transhumance practices and has evolved in response to natural and man-made selection. Currently, the population of Sikkimese yak is at risk with about five thousand total headcounts. Characterization is essential for taking appropriate decisions for conservation of any endangered population. In an attempt to phenotypically characterize the Sikkimese yaks, this study recorded phenotypic morphometric traits information, viz., body length (LG), height at withers (HT), heart girth (HG), paunch girth (PG), horn length (HL), horn circumference (HC), distance between horns (DbH), ear length (EL), face length (FL), face width (FW), and tail length with switch (TL), on 2154 yaks of both sexes. Multiple correlation estimation highlighted that HG and PG, DbH and FW, and EL and FW were highly correlated. Using principal component analysis, LG, HT, HG, PG, and HL were found to be the most important traits for phenotypic characterization of Sikkimese yak animals. Discriminant analysis based on different locations of Sikkim hinted at the existence of two separate clusters, however, broadly, phenotypic uniformity could be observed. Subsequent genetic characterization can offer greater insights and can pave the way for future breed registration and conservation of the population.
ISSN:0049-4747
1573-7438
DOI:10.1007/s11250-023-03627-y