Morphological characterization of an Algerian Sighthound known as The Sloughi raised in the Wilaya of Tlemcen, Northwest of Algeria.

Abstract

The "Sloughi" is a North African sighthound that the World Canine Organization recognizes as a Moroccan greyhound (breed standard n 188). The aim of this study is to compare the distribution of the body measurements of the Algerian sighthound by sex, sampling zones and body coat color. Sixteen morphometric variables were measured and six indices were estimated (format, massiveness, bone, head/neck, muzzle/head, withers/rump) in 30 adult unrelated animals (21 males and 9 females). The impact of sex on variables and indices was assessed using the t-test, while that of the sampling zones and that of the coat color using ANOVA. The mean values for withers height, height at rump, head length, muzzle length, ears length, neck length, body length, tail length, muzzle circumference, head circumference, neck circumference, chest circumference, waist circumference, thigh circumference, forearm circumference, wrist circumference were 71.85, 70.61, 25.24, 10.83, 13.16, 21.23, 68.44, 43.55, 21.50, 33.63, 41.27, 73.35, 48.73, 34.48, 14.67 and 10.81 cm, respectively. The results showed that there was no sexual dimorphism according to the phenotypic traits, the difference between the animals was only due to their body measurements. Males had more developed measurable traits than females, and the mean of Shannon’s diversity index for all variables was 0.99363