Roya Bilbilitana
Roya Bilbilitana
The Roya Bilbilitana sheep breed is a native Spanish sheep (Ovis aries Linnaeus, 1758) with a main aptitude for meat production.
Systematic –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Animalia,
Phylum Chordata,
Mammalia class,
Order Artiodactyla,
Suborder Ruminantia,
Bovidae family,
Subfamily Caprinae,
Genus Ovis,
Species O. aries,
Roya Bilbilitana breed.
Geographical and Areal Distribution –
The Roya Bilbilitana sheep is a native Spanish breed originating from the north-eastern territory of the Spanish Central Plateau. It is more common in the valleys of the Mesa and Jalón rivers and in the manor of Molina de Aragón, in the confluence area of the provinces of Zaragoza, Soria and Guadalajara, it can also occur mixed in mixed herds in Huesca and Teruel, Cuenca, and in the Cervera region of the Alhama River, in the south-east of La Rioja.
Origins and History –
The Roya Bilbilitana sheep is a sheep breed in danger of extinction whose name derives from the reddish brown color of the fleece and takes its name from “Bílbilis”, the pre-Roman and then Roman city of the Iberian peninsula located on the hill of Bámbola, on the banks of the river Jalón, in the Huérmeda neighborhood, Calatayud (Zaragoza).
This breed belongs to the entrefine strain and is characterized by the color of its coat, which is black at the birth of the lambs but then progressively acquires a shade between earthy and reddish.
There is no clear coincidence regarding its possible origins, as different hypotheses based on different writers are considered.
The Official Catalog of Livestock Breeds of Spain includes it in the list of threatened native breeds.
In fact, this breed came to the brink of extinction in the 20th century due, among other factors, to the abandonment of the rural world by the population, the introduction of other breeds which presumably gave greater economic performance and the crossing of herds with white breeds.
Morphology –
The Roya Bilbilitana sheep is a breed that has black skin in young specimens; it later lightens with age until it reaches the characteristic reddish-brown (rust) color. Furthermore, there is a white spot on the head and at the end of the tail.
Males can have very developed and streaked horns.
The average height is 78 cm for males and 70 for females, with a weight of 74 kg for males and 50 kg for females.
Productive attitude –
The Roya Bilbilitana is a breed with an aptitude for meat production. Production is aimed at suckling lamb and Ternasco-type lamb (Ternasco de Aragon PGI – live weight 21 and 25 kg, carcass yield 10-12 kg).
Guido Bissanti
Sources-
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– Balasini Dialma, 2001. Applied zootechnics. Sheep and goats. Sheep and goats. For technical and professional institutes, Caledrini Edagricole, Bologna.
– Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon, 2010. Atlas of native breeds. Cattle, horses, sheep, goats, pigs raised in Italy, Edagricole-New Business Media, Bologna.