INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDIZATION OF THE CYPRUS MOUFLON (AGRINON) WITH DOMESTIC SHEEP

Abstract

SUMMARYAll interspecific hybrids, both male and female, resulting from crosses between the wild sheep of- Cyprus (known locally as Aqrinon) and domesticated sheep breeds (Ovis aries), Cyprus Fat-tailed (CFT), Chios an Awassi, were found to be fertile.The chromosome complement of both species and of the hybrids was 2n=54. The survival.rate of hybrid lambs up to 105 days of age increased with a higher percentage of domesticated sheep inheritance. F2 hybrids had the lowest survival rate.The birth weight of F1 and first backcross to domestic sheep (B,) lambs was higher than that of F2 and F1 × B1 lambs, but much lower thin that of domesticated sheep.Most of the evidence available suggests that the wild sheep of Cyprus originates from either the European (ovis musimon) or the Asiatic' (Ovis orientalis) mouflon.