Encerado
(most common name)

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

The Encerado 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)
• Colorado (dual-purpose meat)
• 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 Encerado coat color is grey with small patches of white; 17% are polled.

The Encerado 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: 2023-05-17

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