Adewunmi, A.A. and Oluyode, M.O.

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The characteristics and meat attribute of domesticated and wild grasscutter were conducted at College of Agriculture, Osun State University, Nigeria. Fifteen Grasscutters (Thryonomys swinderianus) were raised for the study. Five grasscutters were taken from the domesticated and wild grasscutters respectively and were slaughtered to determine the characteristics and attributes of their meat. Both the initial weight, carcass weight and bled weight differed (p<0.05) between treatment groups. Carcass length was shorter in wild grasscutter (p<0.05). Dressing percentage of wild grasscutter was observed to be higher (80.0±3.42) while shoulder weight was higher in wild grasscutter (0.28±0.03). Backbone weight was observed to be higher in wild grasscutter (0.34±0.20) while intestinal weight was observed higher in domesticated grasscutter (3.31±2.24). Mineral composition appears to have no significant difference in raw samples but Iron was observed to decrease in value when cooked. There is thus little or no significant difference in nutrient composition of both wild and domesticated grasscutters but differences were observed in their carcass evaluation. Key words: Carcass attributes, domesticated grasscutter, meat, wild