**2.4 Adamawa Gudali**

As its name suggests, the Adamawa Gudali is only found in Adamawa [21, 22]. It is thought to account for roughly 2% of the national herd [23]. In Nigeria, two prominent local kinds are recognized: the Banyo, who have Rahaji blood and big horns, as well as a white face and red eye patches, and the Yola, who have a Muturu admixture [28]. Since the 1950s, the Muturu characteristics have gradually vanished, and local herders no longer identify the Yola breed as a separate variation.

*Assisted Reproductive Technologies as Veritable Tools for Improving Production Efficiencies… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.100066*

Adamawa Gudali has a similar conformation to Bunaji. Its horns are normally pied and medium in length, and its size ranges from medium to giant. The coat can be white, black, red, or brown. The pendulous hump, however, is the most reliable distinguishing feature between Adamawa Gudali and Bunaji. Both Kanuri and Fulani pastoralists share ownership of the land. Kanuri and Fulani both have mixed Adamawa Gudali and Wadara herds, Bunaji or Rahaji. Many farmers consider Adamawa Gudali to be the traditional race of the region, where they work in the fields. They are normally fattened in the compound and brought to market when they become too large to pull a plow successfully [25, 29].

### **2.5 Wadara**

Wadara cattle are another Nigerian breed. They are light, medium-sized, and dark-red, black, pied, or brown in color. They have short horns and a little upright hump, and account for approximately 6.6 percent of the national herd. They are Borno's "indigenous" cattle, which the Koyam and other pastoralists refer to as "our" cattle. In literature, the Wadara is most commonly referred to as 'Shuwa,' after the Shuwa Arabs who also herd them. The Ambala, a kindred white-coated breed from Chad, is frequently imported into Nigeria [21, 22].

### **2.6 Azawak**

The Azawak is another breed found in Nigeria and is an indigenous cattle the Azawak valley North-East of Nigeria. It is distributed along its North-Western border. It has medium-length horns. The color variations range from red for Azawak in Niger Republic to fawn, white, brown, pied and black color for those that enter Nigeria. They represent about 0.7% of the national herd. Except for minute population kept by indigenous herders in Nigeria throughout the year, the majority is seasonally transhumant [23]. They are majorly distributed along the border North and West of Sokoto but scanty populations are found in the North-West of Borgu and the border between Sokoto and Katsina [21, 22].

### **2.7 Muturu**

The Muturu is a breed of West African dwarf shorthorn cattle with a small body. It has a blocky shape with fine-boned, short limbs. The body is compact, without a hump, and has a broad head and a straight back. Their horns are relatively short and have a somewhat dished face. In South-Central Nigeria, the Muturu are predominantly black or black and white. They are usually black and white on the Jos Plateau, but they are noticeably larger than those found in the lowlands. Northern populations are made up of brown, red, or tawny animals. Muturu cattle have a very disjointed distribution within Nigeria, implying a gradual retreat of a once-widely distributed population [25, 30]. Blench et al. [30] has examined Muturu's management, productivity, history, and distribution. Due to insufficient maps of Muturu distribution, accurate estimates of their numbers are difficult to come by. Muturu cattle are widely spread and less apparent than Zebu cattle, and they are generally kept in stalls where they are fed. As a result, published population figures are inaccurate. Northern Muturu data is lacking, and their trypano-tolerance has not been assessed, making them ineligible for inclusion in estimations of 'trypano-tolerant' cattle. International Livestock Centre for Africa [31], who estimated 120,000 Muturu, should be compared to [32], who estimated 60,000 Muturu, or 0.7 percent of the national herd. Akinwumi and Ikpi [33] found 85,000 people in five southern states after conducting a poll. Nigerian National Livestock Resource Survey [23], the first survey to take into account all of the populated islands, estimated a population of 115,000 in 1990 [15]. Isolated Muturu populations exist along the Republic of Cameroon border, extending into South-Eastern Borno and merging with Adamawa's Michika-Mubi area. In the dry savannah, small populations can be found in the Atlantika mountains, south-east of Yola, near Cham, east of Bauchi, and south-east of the Jos Plateau [21, 22]. Another Muturu group appears north of Tegina in the North-West, with widely varying coat colors, implying a link with the North-East populations. Muturu once inhabited much of southern Nigeria and the west bank of the Niger River, with its extinction in many parts occurring only recently. Either Keteku or Zebu have supplanted Muturu, or Muturu is no longer kept by communities. Muturu once inhabited much of southern Nigeria and the Niger Valley west of the river, but they have since vanished from many areas. Muturu has been replaced by Keteku or Zebu, or Muturu is no longer kept by communities.

### **2.8 Keteku**

Blench et al. [30] investigated the distribution and productivity of Keteku cattle in greater depth. Due to an increasing amount of Zebu blood in 'Keteku' herds, purelines of Keteku have become difficult to come by in recent years. Zebu cattle are being used to replace village herds as Fulani pastoralists migrate southwards, invading territories traditionally restricted to trypano-tolerant stock. The progeny of a Zebu x Savannah Muturu hybrid found near Biu in southern Borno and published in the literature [28] is a good illustration of how the local Zebu gene pool has become dominant. The name Keteku for a certain animal may represent the owner's cultural background as well as the animal's genotype. According to [31], the population of Keteku in Nigeria is 180,000 people. Keteku is less common than previously thought, with a wide range of distribution. It's unlikely that there are 100,000 of any kind.

Keteku is a variant of Borgu and is a stabilized Muturu x Zebu hybrid that is also trypano-tolerant [28]. It is also known as Kataku, Ketari, Borgu, Borgawa, and Kaiama. The Muturu and Bunaji characteristics are combined in this breed, with white, gray, and black being the most common colors, with red and brown appearing on occasion. It has longer horns, a smaller hump, and shorter legs than Muturu and Bunaji. In Nigeria, the populations of Keteku herds are limited to a narrow band along the Benin Republic border in the region known as 'Borgu,' as well as areas near to settlements in Northern Yoruba land. Throughout this region, Keteku coexisted with West African dwarf shorthorn, both filling the same niche [21, 22]. Keteku is sometimes purchased as an investment stock in the Ondo area by farmers who value its combination of size and trypano-tolerance. Keteku cattle have traditionally been raised on breeding farms and dispersed as part of livestock extension programs. Keteku is kept in the Government Livestock Centre in Ado-Ekiti [21, 22]. Crossbreeding of Zebu and Muturu is popular in various West African countries. Despite the fact that the two types came into touch, there have been few 'new' crossings of Zebu and Muturu in Southern Nigeria. Incompatibility and religious strictures have been cited by farmers in the South East for not crossbreeding the duo. In the Jos Plateau, ethnic competitions between the livestock farmers and animal production considerations have been cited as reasons for continuing genetic separation [21, 22].

### **2.9 N'dama**

N'dama cattle are indigenous to Senegambia and neighboring areas in West Africa [29, 30, 34]. In 1939, N'dama cattle were introduced into Nigeria from Guinea for research purposes due to their trypanotolerance and larger size than Muturu

*Assisted Reproductive Technologies as Veritable Tools for Improving Production Efficiencies… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.100066*

cattle [30, 35]. N'dama cattle are humpless and have a medium-sized compact body with lyre-shaped black-tipped horns. The male has a large head and a small dewlap. Light brown N'dama are commonly brought into Nigeria, however black and pied N'dama are found in Guinea. They were sold to farmers and pastoralists in an attempt to boost local herds' resistance to trypanosomiasis. Outside of institutions, there are few pure N'dama due to herders crossing N'dama with Zebu, yet pockets of N'dama exist in Northern Yoruba region [21, 22].

## **2.10 Kuri**

The Kuri is a humpless long-horn with a huge body [21, 22, 29]. Its exact historical origin is uncertain. Kuri horns are unique in that they are swollen and spongy, unlike those of any other breed. It is 1.5 meters tall and weighs up to 550 kilograms. In terms of size, it is one of the largest African cow breeds. Kuri cattle come in a variety of hues and have the capacity to sustain in semi-aquatic environments. The Kuri cattle population is primarily concentrated in the old Lake Chad basin particularly along the lake's eastern coasts. Kuri cattle can be found in Nigeria's Yobe valley and as far west as Gashagar. Kuri cattle are sent to Kano's North East district to be employed as traction animals. The breeds are crossed with the Zebu in Komadugu Yobe and are typically called Jetkoram in the literature [21, 22].
