cowleidoscope

[cowleidoscope]

Unimpressed by the eclipse, gonna eat some sticks instead

[cowleidoscope]

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!

[cowleidoscope]

Whenever the nudists appear they steal my blankets.

[cowleidoscope]

I feel you, buddy

[cowleidoscope]

*points at attolia* perfect. beautiful. queen of my heart. 10/10 would die for in a heartbeat *points at gen* wettest of wet ferrets,

[cowleidoscope]

[cowleidoscope]

Someone doesn't want to start his day

[cowleidoscope]

WAIT DID TUMBLR JUST UPDATE THE IMAGE LIMIT TO *30* ?????

[cowleidoscope]

Hey students, here’s a pro tip: do not write an email to your prof while you’re seriously sick.

Signed, a person who somehow came up with “dear hello, I am sick and not sure if I’ll be alive to come tomorrow and I’m sorry, best slutantions, [name]”.

[cowleidoscope]

How many optometrists does it take to screw in a light bulb?

One or two?

One….or two?

One?……..or two?

[cowleidoscope]

I wish there were different words for the different types of forgetting because  when I say I forgot something, I don’t mean “I forgot we had plans on Friday.” I almost always mean “I forgot today was Friday.” I know my friend’s birthday is on March 20th, but I won’t wish her happy birthday on time because I won’t know it’s March 20th on March 20th. My forgetfulness has nothing to do with not caring about/remembering events and everything to do with my inability to keep up with the passage of time.

[cowleidoscope]

out of the frying pan, into a soft paper towel on a plate to dry and cool.

[cowleidoscope]

when you playfully stomp towards your dog and they get all excited and playful reblog if you agree

[cowleidoscope]

WHAT!!!!

[cowleidoscope]

I think one of my favorite things about thick as thieves is that from Kamet’s point of view, it’s a classic enemies-to-reluctant-allies-to-friends (and maybe probably lovers) arc, but Costis straight-up doesn’t know they’re enemies! He missed the memo! Costis started straight from allies (and not even reluctant ones) and had to be thinking of Kamet as a friend by the time he was sharing bad jokes in the lion’s den. Kamet agonizes over every interaction and Costis’s brain is playing elevator music. Just going on a super dangerous road trip with a pal. It’s delightful

[cowleidoscope]

Breeding kink so disabling I pop a semi every time I put fuel in my car