The relationship between morphometric and long bone measurements of the Morkaraman sheep

Abstract

In this study, a total of 40 adult female Morkaraman sheep, a local Turkish breed, were used. After taking their body measurements and carcass weights, the meat was cut off the bones; the skeletal bones were then removed, macerated and every long bone weighed. Thereafter, morphometric measurements of the long bones were taken. The coefficients obtained from the correlation of osteometric measurements and morphological data were in general low (r < 0.600), though certain relationships were found to be significant. Regression of morphological variables on osteometric measurements was statistically significant. By this, regression formulas were obtained which can contribute to predict the visible morphology in zooarchaeological studies. Length measurements would be more suitable for predicting shoulder height than using width measurements of the long bone. On the other hand, body and carcass weights and chest circle would be determined more efficiently by measuring the width of long bones (Bp, Bd, SD). Furthermore, the humero-femoral index formula can be used to identify sheep in an archaeological bone collection of several animals.