Colorado
(most common name)

The Colorado, considered to be a dual-purpose meat biotype of Ecuador Criollo, is found in the middle-elevation (1,500–1,800 meters ASL) zone of Loja province.

The Colorado is one of four biotypes that are genetically similar to each other in the Southern Region of Ecuador (SRE). The other three are:
• Cajamarca/Pintado (dual-purpose milk)
• Encerado (dual-purpose milk)
• Negro Lojano/Black Lojano (dual-purpose milk)

All four of these SRE biotypes show:
• a small stature
• light weight
• triangular head form
• longilinear body (long rather than broad)
• rump slightly longer than wide

The Colorado has a mostly uniform red-brown coat color.

The Colorado is being conserved as a separate breed because experience elsewhere has shown that these four biotypes are highly likely to have genetic and other differences that are not revealed by microsatellite methods.

ASL = Above Sea Level

This page was last updated on: 2023-05-16

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