#Domestication

[saritawolff]

Phew. This one took, uh… a bit longer than expected due to other projects both irl and art-wise, but it’s finally here. The long-awaited domestic animal infographic! Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough space to cover every single domestic animal (I’m so sorry, reindeer and koi, my beloveds) but I tried to include as many of the “major ones” as possible.

I made this chart in response to a lot of the misunderstandings I hear concerning domestic animals, so I hope it’s helpful!

Further information I didn’t have any room to add or expand on:

🐈 “Breed” and “species” are not synonyms! Breeds are specific to domesticated animals. A Bengal Tiger is a species of tiger. A Siamese is a breed of domestic cat.

🐀 Different colors are also not what makes a breed. A breed is determined by having genetics that are unique to that breed. So a “bluenose pitbull” is not a different breed from a “rednose pitbull”, but an American Pitbull Terrier is a different breed from an American Bully! Animals that have been domesticated for longer tend to have more seperate breeds as these differing genetics have had time to develop.

🐕 It takes hundreds of generations for an animal to become domesticated. While the “domesticated fox experiment” had interesting results, there were not enough generations involved for the foxes to become truly domesticated and their differences from wild foxes were more due to epigenetics (heritable traits that do not change the DNA sequence but rather activate or deactivate parts of it; owed to the specific circumstances of its parents’ behavior and environment.)

🐎 Wild animals that are raised in human care are not domesticated, but they can be considered “tamed.” This means that they still have all their wild instincts, but are less inclined to attack or be frightened of humans. A wild animal that lives in the wild but near human settlements and is less afraid of humans is considered “habituated.” Tamed and habituated animals are not any less dangerous than wild animals, and should still be treated with the same respect. Foxes, otters, raccoons, servals, caracals, bush babies, opossums, owls, monkeys, alligators, and other wild animals can be tamed or habituated, but they have not undergone hundreds of generations of domestication, so they are not domesticated animals.

🐄 Also, as seen above, these animals have all been domesticated for a reason, be it food, transport, pest control, or otherwise, at a time when less practical options existed. There is no benefit to domesticating other species in the modern day, so if you’ve got a hankering for keeping a wild animal as a pet, instead try to find the domestic equivalent of that wild animal! There are several dog breeds that look and behave like wolves or foxes, pigeons and chickens can make great pet birds and have hundreds of colorful fancy breeds, rats can be just as intelligent and social as a small monkey (and less expensive and dangerous to boot,) and ferrets are pretty darn close to minks and otters! There’s no need to keep a wolf in a house when our ancestors have already spent 20,000+ years to make them house-compatible.

🐖 This was stated in the infographic, but I feel like I must again reiterate that domestic animals do not belong in the wild, and often become invasive when feral. Their genetics have been specifically altered in such a way that they depend on humans for optimal health. We are their habitat. This is why you only really see feral pigeons in cities, and feral cats around settlements. They are specifically adapted to live with humans, so they stay even when unwanted. However, this does not mean they should live in a way that doesn’t put their health and comfort as a top priority! If we are their world, it is our duty to make it as good as possible. Please research any pet you get before bringing them home!

[rebeccathenaturalist]

A study that just came out demonstrates that outdoor cats are known to prey on over two thousands species of wild animal, from mammals to birds to insects. That includes 347 species that are endangered, threatened or otherwise of concern, and they've been a key factor of the permanent extinction of over 60 species. And while cats may not always bring home what they catch, chances are if your cat is allowed to roam unsupervised outside, they're killing your local wildlife.

Why is this so important? Worldwide, wild animal populations have decreased in number by 69% in the past fifty years; that means that in my lifetime (born in 1978), the sheer number of wild animals in the world has been decreased by over half. Even "common" wild species are less numerous than before. While habitat population is the single biggest cause of species endangerment and extinction overall, outdoor and indoor/outdoor cats are a significant cause as well. In fact, they are the single biggest cause of human-caused mortality in wild birds.

Most importantly, it's very, very simple to fix this problem: keep your cats indoors, and spay and neuter them. If your cat is bored, they need more enrichment, and there are plenty of ways to make your home more exciting for them, from bringing home cardboard boxes for them to explore, to playing with them more often. If you want your cat to get some outdoor enrichment, leash train them (yes, it can be done!) If you have the space and resources, build them a catio where they can be safe from outdoor dangers like predators and cars, while also keeping local wildlife safe from them.

If you just give into their whining and pawing at the door, then they know that that's what they have to do to get their way; I know it's a tough transition, but it's worth it in the end for everyone involved. Cats are domesticated, which means they are not native anywhere in the world; there are exactly zero ecosystems in which they belong, save for the safety of your home. It is your responsibility to give them an enriching environment without taking the shortcut of letting them go wreak havoc outside.

[marlynnofmany]

We do deserve dogs.

[unbfacts]

[thetravelingegg]

This isn’t even all the weird things that happened in those 82 issues

[herpsandbirds]

this might be a really stupid question, but i'll give it a go anyway

when people draw ducks, they tend to choose pure white ones, which i know as aylesbury ducks. is there a reason for this that you know of? i would imagine that maybe there's a lot of aylesbury ducks in america, but when i think of the quintessential duck, the duckiest duck one could say, i think of a mallard (male or female)

also, thank you very much for all the work you do on this blog, i get to send my bird friends loads of cool pictures and engage in their interests even though i know fuck all about them <|:3

White Ducks

You're welcome kumquat.

So, in the United States, most of the farm ducks, and many of the domestic ducks that are put in parks with ponds and lakes are the Peking White aka American Pekin. The original birds that became this breed came from China in the 1800s.

The Peking White is a domestic breed of the Mallard, and is a different breed from the Aylesbury (which is usually kept in the UK and other parts of Europe, along with the German Pekin). Many American Pekins have some Aylesbury genetics.

For many people who grow up seeing ducks in parks or farms, this is the quintessential appearance for a duck.

The aforementioned are just a few domestic varieties of mallard.

Peking Whites (photograph: Martin Backert)

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), wild, L/T - female, R/B - male, family Anatidae, order Anseriformes, Germany

photograph by Richard Bartz

[probablyasocialecologist]

According to a paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, people in what we today call Honduras made avocados a part of their diets at least 10,000 years ago and purposefully improved them starting more than 7,500 years ago — first by managing wild trees, and then by selectively planting new ones, to encourage thicker rinds and larger fruit. This means fruit domestication at this site began thousands of years before the arrival of more commonly studied plants like maize. “People were domesticating and cultivating their forests” long before they were planting crops in fields, said Amber VanDerwarker, a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and an author of the paper.

7 March 2025

[mammalianmammals]

[typhlonectes]

Foxes were once humans’ best friends, study says

An artist’s reconstruction depicts the extinct fox species Dusicyon avus, which scientists believe may have been domesticated 1,500 years ago by hunter-gatherers in what’s now Patagonia in Argentina.

In an ancient grave in what’s now northwestern Argentina, a person was buried with a canine companion — but this animal friend wasn’t a dog, according to new research. The burial held the skeleton of a type of canid that may have once competed with dogs for human affection: a fox. Humans and dogs have a long history. The relationship between the two species is tens of thousands of years old. However, a fresh analysis of evidence from a Patagonian burial dating back about 1,500 years hints at a similar close connection between a hunter-gatherer in southern South America and the large extinct fox species Dusicyon avus...

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/11/americas/fox-pets-hunter-gatherer-burial-scn

[stepforddoll]

[mattsmemes]

[palaeosinensis]

Little of the love humans have for their dogs has changed in 30,000 years; one skull was found buried in the Czech Republic with a mammoth bone in its mouth. Placed there by human hands and buried with intention for a lost companion. The dog card for my ancient oracle deck. Needs a smidge more work. Inspired in no small part by this post: https://tmblr.co/ZkEfdxf0XoZAGm00

[darlingyourehome]

Short Story #6: For Her Own Good

Now, I’m sorry for having to deceive you dear, but the truth is that this was always the plan. Yes, it turns out that you were right all along dear– the whole point of moving you out here and sending you to Pleasantville University was so that you’ll never see that lousy miscreant boy from your old school ever again!

But don’t worry dear, you’re going to Pleasantville University now, and that means that you’re going to end up with someone much more appropriate for a girl like you. Of course, he’ll be nerdy, and conservative, but that’s exactly what a girl like you needs to settle for! He’ll expect you to be his chipper, naive little churchgoing housewife– and you will be, in time!

And who knows, by the time you see your old boyfriend again, you’ll be stuck in Pleasantville with a husband and several kids… and he’ll see that he had been wrong about you! You’ll show him that you’re not the free-spirited girl he thought he knew– no, you’re the sort of girl who needs stability, tradition, and conformity as the pillars of your life! Just imagine it, him leaving with relief while you go back to your life as just another stereotypical housewife! Let’s not waste any time, shall we?

[orangaria]

Humans are in dire need of domestication. And by humans I mean ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME

[inspired-lesson-plans]

HW: due Wednesday

More info about the Siberian Fox experiment here.

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