Morphological characterization of the Libyan Mahali goat (Capra hircus)

Abdulkarim Ahtash; Fathi Abousaq; Mustafa Edahmani; Naser Aboubareeq; Osama Alsibae; Mahmoud Abounouwarah; Salem Shaykh; Mohamed Ashteba; Hassan Alfaleedni; Abu-Ajila Tarhuni; Abdulkader Targy; Khaled Abdulkarim; Abdulkarim Shiba; Ismail Ibrahim

doi:10.5455/JRAFS.2026.v3.i3.6

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Original Article
Online Published: 02 Nov 2026

J Res Agric Food Sci. 2026; 3(3): 167-180

doi: 10.5455/JRAFS.2026.v3.i3.6

Morphological characterization of the Libyan Mahali goat (Capra hircus)

Abdulkarim Ahtash, Fathi Abousaq, Mustafa Edahmani, Naser Aboubareeq, Osama Alsibae, Mahmoud Abounouwarah, Salem Shaykh, Mohamed Ashteba, Hassan Alfaleedni, Abu-ajila Tarhuni, Abdulkader Targy, Khaled Abdulkarim, Abdulkarim Shiba, Ismail Ibrahim.

Abstract
Background:
The Libyan goat population (~1.5–2 million heads) is predominantly composed of the indigenous Mahali goat (90%), mainly distributed along the coastal region. Mahali goats are hardy animals and well adapted to the desert´s harsh grazing conditions and scarce vegetation. The breed produces mainly meat, with milk for home consumption. It was well adapted to harsh conditions and have high resistance to internal and external parasites. They walk for long distance looking for feed and water.

Aim:
The main goals of this study were to characterize morphological variation among three sub-populations (West, Middle, and South) of Mahali goats.

Methods:
A total of 1,198 adult goats from 291 herds were assessed for 10 qualitative and 11 quantitative traits following FAO guidelines, using multivariate statistical analyses (variance partitioning, stepwise and canonical discriminant analysis, and PCA).

Results:
Significant regional and sexual variation was observed (P < 0.0001). Coat colors were predominantly black (43.25%) and brown (33.28%), and males were consistently larger than females. Within-region variation exceeded between-region variation, suggesting phenotypic homogeneity across Libya, likely due to gene flow though this requires molecular confirmation. Six morphological traits (horn length, chest girth, wither height, cannon circumference, body length, and head length) showed the highest discriminatory power, with the Middle and South regions being most distinct (Mahalanobis distance = 1.71, P < 0.0001).

Conclusion:
This study provides the first comprehensive morphological baseline for Libyan goats, offering essential data for breed conservation, breed standard development, and sustainable management programs.

Key words: Canonical discriminant; Mahali goat; Morphological; Variation.

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How to Cite this Article

Pubmed Style

Ahtash A, Abousaq F, Edahmani M, Aboubareeq N, Alsibae O, Abounouwarah M, Shaykh S, Ashteba M, Alfaleedni H, Tarhuni A, Targy A, Abdulkarim K, Shiba A, Ibrahim I. Morphological characterization of the Libyan Mahali goat (Capra hircus). J Res Agric Food Sci. 2026; 3(3): 167-180.

doi:10.5455/JRAFS.2026.v3.i3.6

Web Style

Ahtash A, Abousaq F, Edahmani M, Aboubareeq N, Alsibae O, Abounouwarah M, Shaykh S, Ashteba M, Alfaleedni H, Tarhuni A, Targy A, Abdulkarim K, Shiba A, Ibrahim I. Morphological characterization of the Libyan Mahali goat (Capra hircus). https://www.jrafs.com/?mno=322724 [Access: November 05, 2026].

doi:10.5455/JRAFS.2026.v3.i3.6

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Ahtash A, Abousaq F, Edahmani M, Aboubareeq N, Alsibae O, Abounouwarah M, Shaykh S, Ashteba M, Alfaleedni H, Tarhuni A, Targy A, Abdulkarim K, Shiba A, Ibrahim I. Morphological characterization of the Libyan Mahali goat (Capra hircus). J Res Agric Food Sci. 2026; 3(3): 167-180.

doi:10.5455/JRAFS.2026.v3.i3.6

Vancouver/ICMJE Style

doi:10.5455/JRAFS.2026.v3.i3.6

Harvard Style

Ahtash, A., Abousaq, . F., Edahmani, . M., Aboubareeq, . N., Alsibae, . O., Abounouwarah, . M., Shaykh, . S., Ashteba, . M., Alfaleedni, . H., Tarhuni, . A., Targy, . A., Abdulkarim, . K., Shiba, . A. & Ibrahim, . I. (2026) Morphological characterization of the Libyan Mahali goat (Capra hircus). J Res Agric Food Sci, 3 (3), 167-180.

doi:10.5455/JRAFS.2026.v3.i3.6

Turabian Style

Ahtash, Abdulkarim, Fathi Abousaq, Mustafa Edahmani, Naser Aboubareeq, Osama Alsibae, Mahmoud Abounouwarah, Salem Shaykh, Mohamed Ashteba, Hassan Alfaleedni, Abu-ajila Tarhuni, Abdulkader Targy, Khaled Abdulkarim, Abdulkarim Shiba, and Ismail Ibrahim. 2026. Morphological characterization of the Libyan Mahali goat (Capra hircus). Journal of Research in Agriculture and Food Sciences, 3 (3), 167-180.

doi:10.5455/JRAFS.2026.v3.i3.6

Chicago Style

Ahtash, Abdulkarim, Fathi Abousaq, Mustafa Edahmani, Naser Aboubareeq, Osama Alsibae, Mahmoud Abounouwarah, Salem Shaykh, Mohamed Ashteba, Hassan Alfaleedni, Abu-ajila Tarhuni, Abdulkader Targy, Khaled Abdulkarim, Abdulkarim Shiba, and Ismail Ibrahim. "Morphological characterization of the Libyan Mahali goat (Capra hircus)." Journal of Research in Agriculture and Food Sciences 3 (2026), 167-180.

doi:10.5455/JRAFS.2026.v3.i3.6

MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Ahtash, Abdulkarim, Fathi Abousaq, Mustafa Edahmani, Naser Aboubareeq, Osama Alsibae, Mahmoud Abounouwarah, Salem Shaykh, Mohamed Ashteba, Hassan Alfaleedni, Abu-ajila Tarhuni, Abdulkader Targy, Khaled Abdulkarim, Abdulkarim Shiba, and Ismail Ibrahim. "Morphological characterization of the Libyan Mahali goat (Capra hircus)." Journal of Research in Agriculture and Food Sciences 3.3 (2026), 167-180. Print.

doi:10.5455/JRAFS.2026.v3.i3.6

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

doi:10.5455/JRAFS.2026.v3.i3.6

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