[Inheritance of notched ears in Highland cattle].

The present study describes an anomaly of the pinna of the ear and its distribution in Highland Cattle. The investigation is based on a questionnaire survey in farms in Bavaria keeping robust breeds and on registering data in 15 selected farms. In the year 1991, there were registered 548 Highland stud book cows in 108 farms. In four herds animals of the breed Highland Cattle were observed which showed crop ears. Always both ears were affected and this ear defect could be already observed in newborn calves. Crop ears appeared in very different forms. In some cases only small changes of the external ear could be recognized, in more severe cases, grooves in the external ear could be found and in the most severe case, the external ear was totally deformed and drastically reduced in size. In one herd, 45 animals out of the progeny of 46 of one affected breeding bull showed crop ears. The pedigrees indicated that this defect of the ear pinna is inherited and a single autosomal gene with nearly additive (incomplete dominant) action may be involved. Homozygote recessive animals are free from crop ears, animals homozygote for the mutated allele carry totally deformed external ears and heterozygote animals do not show as severe forms of crop ears as homozygote ones.