Studies on tail length of Rambouillet and Mouflon sheep

Data are presented on tail length of various breeds or crosses of sheep and various combinations of Mouflon X Rambouillet breeding. Mouflons sheep had 11 coccygeal vertebrae, and Rambouillet had 18-24. Others were intermediate between these types. Finewool sheep (Merino or Rambouillet) had longer tails than medium wool (Dorset, Suffolk or Hampshire), crossed, or Rambouillet breeds. Heritability estimates for tail length of Rambouillet were 0.387 (intra-sire regression), 0.344 (half-sib method), and 0.706 for inter se matings in a population containing some Mouflon breeding. In the Rambouillet breed, tail length was shown to be correlated with various measures of wool production. However, this relationship was low and only wool covering and staple length were significant. The significance of this to the development of long tails in animals under domestication is discussed.