Osteometric study of metapodial bones in sheep (Ovis aries, L. 1758).

This study, based on a sample of 215 individuals, gives detailed insight into Sheep metapodial bone main features: their variability and correlations between their various parts. This data allowed us to reveal the most relevant measurements for study of metapodial bones in sheep (GL, Bp, Dp, SD, DD, Bd, and Dd), as well as references used to split up the main population. Those references give a great help in placing any sample in relation to the breeds described in this work. The main purpose of this tool is to compare unknown populations, such as fossil ones, to present sheep breeds, in order to increase our knowledge of domesticated Sheep History, from its origins to the present day.