Phenotypic characterization of domestic cavies (Cavia porcellus) in the agricultural zone of Haut-Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo

This study was conducted with the aim of contributing to the characterization of zoo genetic resources for farm animals in the agricultural area of Haut Katanga. For this, 185 guinea pigs were sampled according to the snowball method from 117 households and whose weight parameter obtained from a balance and linear parameter obtained at the area of a measuring tape a description. The cavy was held immobile in a horizontal plane, and measurements were taken after locating landmarks on the surface of the animal's body. Qualitative parameters were collected by the visual method where the color of the coat was identified by direct observation under daylight (FAO, 2013; AU-IBAR, 2015). The main results showed that the location factor significantly influenced the majority of biometric characteristics while the sex factor had no significant effect on the measurements. The studied cavies had an angular conformation with the following average performances: weight 506.1 ± 149.9g; chest circumference 15.8 ± 3.0cm; body length 27.7 ± 3.2cm; thigh circumference 5.8 ± 0.9cm. Morphological characteristics indicate the presence of 6 main colors (white, cream, brown, grey, black and silver), from which several combinations are derived. The most frequent combinations are trichromic (White, black and brown) with 34.05%, followed by dichromic (White and brown: 18.38%). About 99.4% of the animals had black eyes. The hairs were soft (82.7%) and short (100%). PCA followed by an Ascending Hierarchical Classification (AHC) of these animals resulted in four genetic types; the first two types (type 1 and 2) have lower than average weights and resemble the guinea pigs of a (traditional) family farm, while the other two are semi-improved. Based on the coloring of the hair, these domestic cavies have a compound coat. These results show the existence of a great variability between the guinea pig populations as well as a diversity of rearing practices that requires monitoring for improvement, which constitutes an opportunity for genetic improvement of local guinea pigs.