International Journal of Biological www.chesci.com & Pharmaceutical Sciences Intl J Biol Pharm Sci 2015, 2 (2) 13-19 15.1026/BR292045011 13 Research Article Phenotypic Characteristics and Performance Traits of Kohi Camel (Camelus Dromedarius) M.G. Shah 1 , A. Sarwar 2 , M. Reissmann 3 , H. J. Schwartz 4 , J.A.Gandahi 1 , A.R. Nisha 6 , G.M. Lochi 1 , S. Arivudainambi 6 , M.Umer 6,7 and M.S. Khan 5*,6 1 Department of Anatomy and Histology, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Pakistan 2 Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan 3 Institute of Animal Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany 4 Department of Livestock Ecology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany 5 Gomal College of Veterinary Sciences, Gomal University, D.I.Khan, Pakistan 6 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Putra Malaysia 7 Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences, Uthal, Pakistan. Abstract Pakistan inhibits more than 20 reverine and mountain type camel breeds. Kohi camels, breed in North East part of Baluchistan province of Pakistan. Morphological characteristics of this breed could be attributed to the type of camels i.e., mountain breed. A good proportion of the females observed in good body condition. Estimates regarding growth, production and reproduction traits revealed Kohi camels as an excellent performer in cold mountain region of Balochistan. Keywords: Kohi, Camel, Breed, Performance, Phenotypic. *Correspondence M. S. Khan Gomal College of Veterinary Sciences, Gomal University, D.I.Khan, Pakistan/ Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Putra Malaysia Introduction The dromedary is a habitant of hot deserts and cold mountains. Asia’s camel population is not genetically homogeneous, and composed of a multitude of breeds adapted to diverse cultural, ecological and economic contexts. These breeds evolved through a combination of human and natural selection. Some breeds are endowed with excellent milk potential, while others have high growth rates and are suitable for meat production; yet others are swift and suitable for racing. As a result it is hard to find an inventory of existing camel breeds [1]. Various attempts have been made to differentiate camel among working animals e.g. by function (riding or pack types), location (low land or mountain types) or conventionally into beef, dairy, dual-purpose and racing [2-7]. About eight to fifteen [8, 9] camel breeds were reported in the literature to be present in Pakistan. In 2000 Isani and Baloch have documented 20 camel breeds in Pakistan comprising of seven breeds from Balochistan, four from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four from Sindh and five from Punjab [10]. There was a paucity of literature on Kohi camels which breed in North East part of Balochistan province of Pakistan [11-13]. The objective of this study was to evaluate phenotypic and performance traits of Kohi camel breed and to compare it with other camel breeds of Balochistan in order to know whether it is a new breed or a subtype of already one of the documented breeds. Materials and Methods Animals and sampling location Thirty Kohi camel cows were randomly selected from Loralai and Mosakhel districts of Baluchistan province of Pakistan.