The present study aimed to assess the degree of body architecture differentiation between Creole goats, two introduced breeds and their hybrids in semi arid areas of the north of Chile. The study was carried out between 2012 and 2015. One hundred and eighty five adult female goats belonging to 17 herds from the Coquimbo region were used. Ten animals of the Saanen breed and 10 animals of the Anglo nubian breed belonging to two hatcheries and 165 Creole and hybrid goats belonging to small farmers were measured. The animals were categorized into pure breed (20), hybrid (52) and creole (113). Eight body measurements were taken: head length (HL), head width (HW), longitudinal diameter (LD), bicostal diameter (BD), dorsal-sternal diameter (DSD), rump width (RW), rump length (RL) and whithers height (WH). Data were submitted to principal component analysis (PCA) and Fisher LSD test, using the XLSTAT-Pro Statistic software. The analysis indicated the existence of homogeneity subsets within the population, without a common architectural pattern for the entire population. The Creole biotype showed a smaller body architecture than the two breeds and hybrids with which it was compared, which could be an adaptative result. It is possible to assess that the Creole biotype has a differentiated body architecture with respect to the introduced goat breeds and the animals hybridized in different proportions. In addittion, it was observed that Creole goats maintain distinctive characteristics and they are differentiable even of the individuals with different degrees of hybridization.
KEY WORDS: Morphology; Goat; Population characteristics; Ethnology.
