Criteria | Breed | Species |
Definition | Breed is a group of animals of the same species which are similar in shape, size, appearance and are related by descent. | Species are the group of reproductively isolated individuals that can breed among themselves to produce fertile offspring. |
Reproductive isolation | Members of two different breeds of the same species are not reproductively isolated and can mate amongst themselves to produce fertile offspring. | Members belonging to two different species are reproductively isolated from each other. |
Examples | Red sindhi, Gir and Sahiwal are different breeds of cows. | Cows and sheep are two different species of animals. |