Adjective
domesticated- tame or naturalized
domesticateddomesticateddomesticated
Read full definition at wiktionary.org
...Domestication (from Latin ) or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. A defining characteristic of domestication is artificial selection by humans. Some species such as the Asian Elephant, numerous members of which have for many centuries been used as working animals, are not domesticated because they have not normally been bred under human control, even though they have been commonly tamed. Humans have brought these populations under their care for a wide range of reasons: to produce food or valuable commodities (such as wool, cotton, or silk), for help with various types of work (such as transportation or protection), for protection of themselves and livestock, to enjoy as companion or ornamental plant, and for scientific research, such as finding cures for certain diseases. Read full entry
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- 1.Domestication - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Dogs and sheep were among the first animals to be domesticated. ... Although similar to domesticated pigs in many ways, American peccaries and ...
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D
omestication
- 2.domesticate - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online ...
- Definition of domesticate from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary with audio pronunciations, thesaurus, Word of the Day, and word games.
- http://www.merriam-webster.com
/dictionary/domesticated
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How did dogs become I've been looking online to
find out how dogs were
domesticated. It seems it
happened about 10-15,000 years
ago. Anyone have any more
detailed information about
this?
Also, where did all the breeds
come from? Prior to
domestication, were there
packs of Great Danes and
Chihuahua's running around in
the wild? Or were the breeds
created by mixing different
traits of various wolf
species?
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The domestic dog is a man-made species that has never existed in the wild. There were never packs of Great Danes or Chihuahuas running around in the wild. Domestic dogs are descended from the grey wolf, which was originally domesticated to aid our ancestors in hunting. Through thousands of years of selective breeding, we produced all the hundreds of different dog breeds we have today. The reason there are so many and such variation in size and appearance is that the different breeds were created for different purposes - hunting, guarding, fighting, tracking, herding, lap-dogs, etc. Therefore large breeds were developed for jobs such as guarding and fighting, whilst small breeds were developed just to be kept as house pets, or to follow small animals underground. |
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What did cats first look like And what country where they
first founded in?
Are there any cats (of the
same domesticated species)
that still live in the wild?
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The domestic cat is believed to be descended from the African wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica. It is about the same size as a domestic cat and looks pretty much the same, though of course without the colour variations and different coat lengths - it is generally a sandy colour with some darker striping. It is common across much of Africa. |
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What are your thoughts on I didn't say captive, I said
domesticated. Captive breeding
is selecting for traits which
are the opposite of what
nature selects for--unusual
colors for example. A high
yellow albino ball python with
pied markings would scream
"Here's your lunch!" A super
giant designer leopard gecko
would stand out like the
broiled scallop on an
appetizer tray of cocktail
franks to a hungry predator.
The changes we select for in
captive breeding are not all
readily visible. Animals which
have less natural wariness
breed more freely in
captivity, passing this trait,
which would get them quickly
killed in nature, on to their
offspring. It's the same
selective breeding process
which turned wolves into dogs
and aurochs into cattle.
We are on the frontier of
creating new domestic species
with some of our captive bred
reptiles. I don't see this as
a bad thing. Our pets might
someday be reverse selected to
restock a disease or hunting
depleted wild population. What
are your thoughts?
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I don't know that it's much different than what our anscestors did with dogs and cats. Breeders are selecting traits that have more "appeal", whether it be brighter coloration or just "something different than what everyone else has". The prices they get for the animals shows there is a market for them. Personally, I like the "wild" colorations. I've taught in a number of settings and if I want to talk camoflage and natural behaviors of these animals, it's harder to do if all you have are "sunfire" bearded dragons and "tangerine" leopard geckos. As a pet, I don't think the latest designer colors affects the personalities as much as regular interaction with humans from the time they're young animals. Of course, the designer colors are mostly in animals with more docile personalities to begin with. I don't know that the trend for lighter/brighter coloration will be an advantage to replacing wild populations. Albinism and lighter colors are for the most part recessive characteristics, and, as you pointed out, make the animals more visible to predators. Behavior is mostly instinct, but if breeders select the most passive/docile animals for breeding, this may, over time, reduce the natural wariness and aggression they would need to compete with the remaining wild members of their own species. With all this said, I'm not against selective breeding for the pet trade - I just think that there's value in keeping natural traits as well. |
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