Morphozoometric approach of female camels (Camelus dromedarius, L.) of the Algerian Sahraoui and Targui populations

Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare morphological traits and determine the gracility index of two Algerian camel populations, the Sahraoui and the Targui, based on zoomet­ric measurements. These measurements concerned a sam­ple of adult female camels – 30 Sahrawi and 30 Targui – in Northern Sahara (Ouargla region). Four measurements were taken, then the gracility index and live weights were calcu­lated. Linear regression equations have been proposed to estimate the live weight of the animals and the height at the withers from correlated measurements. The mean live weights of the Sahraoui and Targui were 399 ± 74 kg and 428 ± 82 kg, respectively, for a height at the withers of 1.75 ± 0.08 m and 1.81 ± 0.08 m. The mean substernal cavities measured 0.96 ± 0.05 m and 0.97 ± 0.08 m, the mean thoracic depths 0.80 ± 0.08 and 0.84 ± 0.07, and the mean substernal gracil­ity indices were 1.20 ± 0.13 m and 1.18 ± 0.16 m. This study shows that the Targui female camel is a little more gracile than the Sahraoui. These populations are also associated with a range of feeding practices, which are themselves linked to the quality of rangelands whose influence on the morphological development of animals has been widely observed.