Abstract
Biochemical variation at 14 blood loci was reviewed and specific features compared experimentally in sheep, Ovis aries; mouflon, O. musimon; goat, Capra hircus; aoudad, Ammotragus lervia; and in 2 stillborn aoudad .times. goat hybrids. Variation at 3 loci was studied in dall sheep, O. dalli; bighorn sheep, O. canadensis; and rocky mountain goat, Oreamnos americanus. Hb C production in an anemic Hb AB mouflon and in mouflon .times. sheep hybrids was examined. Mouflon differ from domestic sheep in that synthesis of Hb .beta.A and Hb .beta.B chains is switched off during Hb C production. The mouflon .times. sheep hybrids switched off 1 or both chains depending on whether they had inherited sheep or mouflon Hb .beta. chain genes. In general, aoudads showed a closer affinity to goats than to sheep.