Comparative aspects of biochemical polymorphism in the blood of Caprinae species and their hybrids

Biochemical variation at 14 blood loci was reviewed, and specific features compared experimentally in sheep Ovis aries, mouflon Ovis musimon, goat Capra hircus, aoudad Ammotragus lervia and in 2 stillborn aoudad × goat hybrids. Variation at 3 loci was also studied in dall sheep Ovis dalli, bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis and rocky mountain goat Oreamnos americanus. Haemoglobin C production in an anaemic Hb AB mouflon and in mouflon × sheep hybrids was examined. Mouflon differ from domestic sheep in that synthesis of both Hb β^AHb β^Bchains is switched off during Hb C production. The mouflon × sheep hybrids switched off one or both chains depending on whether they had inherited sheep or mouflon Hb β chain genes. In general aoudad showed a closer affinity to goats than to sheep.