Phenotypic Classification Based on Body Measurements and Body Features of Some Saudi Camel Types (Camelus dromedarius)

This study was conducted to identify the homogenous groups of some Saudi camel types based on their quantitative and qualitative body features, 10 body measurements (neck length, heart girth, barrel girth, hip girth, body length, leg length, hip length, wither height, body height and arm length) from 223 camels belonging to five different camel types (Homor, Majaheem, Wadha, Awadi and Saheli) were recorded and subjected to statistical analysis. Results revealed that the quantitative body measurements for both males and females in Majaheem, Wadha and Homor were significantly (p< 0.05) higher than the measurements in Awadi and Saheli. Correlation coefficients were found to be varied between 0.10–0.88 for males, and between 0.05-.77 for females. Cluster analysis resulted in identification of three classes of camel types according to their quantitative body measurements (large size camel type, medium size camel type and small size camel type). The study findings could be utilized for description of body conformation and contribution to camel breeding improvement programs in the area.