Access the Vertebrate Breed Ontology (VBO) for standardized breed nomenclature across 49 species with 19,500+ breed concepts. Use for breed identification, cross-referencing, and taxonomic standardization.
The Vertebrate Breed Ontology (VBO) is a standardized, structured taxonomy of animal breeds and varieties across 49 domesticated and semi-domesticated species. Developed and maintained by the VBO consortium (veterinary geneticists, bioinformaticians, breed club representatives), VBO enables consistent breed naming, automated breed-predisposition reasoning, and integration with genetic disease databases (OMIA, VetClaw). With 19,500+ breed concepts and hierarchical classification, VBO powers precision veterinary medicine.
Definition: Formal ontology structured as directed acyclic graph (DAG) where:
Coverage (by Species):
Total: 19,500+ breed concepts across 49 species
Dog (Canis familiaris) Example:
VBO_DOG_ROOT (Dog - all breeds)
├── VBO_GROUP_1 (FCI Group 1: Sheepdogs & Cattle Dogs)
│ ├── VBO_COLLIE (Rough Collie)
│ ├── VBO_COLLIE_SMOOTH (Smooth Collie)
│ ├── VBO_AUSTRALIAN_SHEPHERD (Australian Shepherd)
│ ├── VBO_GERMAN_SHEPHERD (German Shepherd Dog)
│ └── ... (50+ herding breeds)
├── VBO_GROUP_2 (FCI Group 2: Pinschers, Schnauzers, Molossians)
│ ├── VBO_BOXER (Boxer)
│ ├── VBO_DOBERMAN (Doberman Pinscher)
│ └── ... (20+ molossoid breeds)
├── VBO_GROUP_3 (FCI Group 3: Terriers)
│ ├── VBO_SMOOTH_FOX_TERRIER (Smooth Fox Terrier)
│ └── ... (30+ terrier breeds)
├── VBO_GROUP_8 (FCI Group 8: Retrievers, Flushing Dogs)
│ ├── VBO_LABRADOR (Labrador Retriever)
│ ├── VBO_GOLDEN (Golden Retriever)
│ └── ... (30+ gun dogs)
└── ... (8 total FCI groups + miscellaneous/non-FCI breeds)
Cattle (Bos taurus) Example:
VBO_CATTLE_ROOT
├── VBO_DAIRY (Dairy Breeds)
│ ├── VBO_HOLSTEIN (Holstein-Friesian)
│ ├── VBO_JERSEY (Jersey)
│ ├── VBO_GUERNSEY (Guernsey)
│ └── VBO_BROWN_SWISS (Brown Swiss)
├── VBO_BEEF (Beef Breeds)
│ ├── VBO_ANGUS (Angus)
│ ├── VBO_HEREFORD (Hereford)
│ ├── VBO_CHAROLAIS (Charolais)
│ └── ...
└── VBO_DUAL_PURPOSE (Dairy/Beef Breeds)
├── VBO_SIMMENTAL (Simmental)
└── ...
Standard Format: VBO_XXXXXX (6-character code or full name reference)
Examples:
Nomenclature Standards:
Web Interface (OBO Foundry/BioPortal):