The Criollo (also known as Creole, Chilludo, Pampa, Colombian, Lucero, Tarhumara, Uruguayan, and Venezuelan) is a
breed
A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...
of
domestic sheep originating in the highlands of
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
and
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
. In the mid 16th Century, Spanish settlers brought the
Churra
The Churra (also known as ''Spanish Churro'') is an ancient Iberian breed of sheep from Zamora province in Castile and León. The ewes produce the milk for Zamorana cheese; the meat is also prized.
The Churra (renamed "churro" by American fr ...
with them. This is believed to be the ancestor of the modern day Criollo.
The Criollo is raised primarily for
meat
Meat is animal flesh that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted, farmed, and scavenged animals for meat since prehistoric times. The establishment of settlements in the Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of animals such as chic ...
.
[
]
Characteristics
The wool is coarse and is of carpet type. The Criollo is typically black, white or pied.
On average and at maturity, rams weigh and ewes weigh . On average, ewes have 1.02 lambs per litter. The Criollo may be resistant to endoparasite infestation.
References
{{sheep-stub
Sheep breeds