Criollo ecuatoriano
(most common name)

local/other name (English):
• Ecuador Criollo
• Ecuador Sierra Criollo

In 1534, Sebastian de Benalcázar arrived in Ecuador and introduced the first Bos taurus cattle. For more than five centuries the descendants of these animals, collectively known as Criollo cattle, have acquired their own characteristics and adapted to various harsh climates. It is their phenotypic and genotypic characteristics that have allowed them to survive and thrive in these complex environments. Breeding of other types of cattle in these environments is mostly unsustainable.

Unfortunately, due to recent disorderly crossbreeding, the Criollo population in Ecuador has been decreasing drastically. However, small heterogeneous herds of Criollo cattle are reported to exist in some remote places, such as the Southern Region of Ecuador (SRE) bordering on the north of Peru.

The Criollo ecuatoriano plays an important role in the welfare of marginal small farmers of the SRE by providing:
• milk
• meat
• draught power
• cash from the sale of animals
• the use of forages in these areas
• reduction of the risk of forest fires by consuming dry vegetation

In the SRE, four biotypes of the Criollo ecuatoriano that are genetically similar to each other are found:
• Cajamarca/Pintado
• Colorado
• Encerado
• Negro Lojano/Black Lojano

The four Criollo ecuatoriano biotypes in the SRE show the greatest degree of genetic similarity to Iberian breeds such as:
• Berrenda en Colorado
• Pajuna
• Negra Andaluza
• Canaria

Other biotypes of the Criollo ecuatoriano in Ecuador include:
• Bravo de Páramo
• Esmeraldeño
• Galapagueño
• Jaspeado Manabita
• Macabeo
• Moro
• Pizán
• Zarumeño

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

You can also go to:

My Daily Cow® Ecuador and read about other Ecuadorian cattle breeds.

The Cow Wall® A-Z Cattle Breed Picture Reference to see other breeds of cattle in the world.