**3. Pantaneiro sheep**

The Brazilian Pantanal, considered the largest wetland sedimentary plain of the world, is located in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul and part of the northern Paraguay and eastern Bolivia. This biome, due to its intrinsic characteristics, made it difficult the exchange for other regions of the country at the time of colonization. So, the first animal's populations developed for breeds and the sheep of Pantanal region is an example of adapta‐ bility maintained throughout the years [18].

**Figure 1.** Pantaneiro sheep.

With the expansion of sheep breeding in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, the genetic group of locally adaptaded sheep, known as Pantaneiro Sheep (**Figure 1**), can be advantageous to increase the production chain, due to its adaptation to the environmental conditions of the region and by using its rustic genetic material in conservation and breeding programs [7].

In 2005, researchers at the University Anhanguera (UNIDERP), Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), and the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS) initiated studies with the Pantaneiro genetic sheep group in order to identify, preserve, record, and ensure the development of animals and their desirable traits obtained by natural selection. The groups were consisted of animals obtained from farms of Pantanal (Midwest of Brazil), which had similar phenotypic traits but distinct genotypic patterns presented by exotic breeds created in Brazil [7, 18, 19].
