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This page gives a list of domesticated animals, also including a list of animals which are or may be currently undergoing the process of domestication and animals that have an extensive relationship with humans beyond simple predation.
- Dogs. Scientific Name: Canis lupus familiaris. Dogs are popular pets all around the world. Humans have bred them from wolves, and millennia of human contact have shaped them.
- Cats. Scientific Name: Felis catus. Cats are small carnivores that people keep as house pets, farm cats, or find as feral cats. They’re solitary hunters who are fast on their feet, have keen senses of smell and night vision, and are valued for their companionship and pest-control abilities.
- Sheep. Scientific Name: Ovis aries. Sheep are small animals that have woolly coats. Humans have selectively bred them, creating different breeds with various traits like tail length, horn presence, and wool color.
- Cows. Scientific Name: Bos taurus. Cattle or cows are among the domesticated animals that have significantly influenced human civilization. Historically, people used them for bartering; today, they mostly raise them for beef, dairy, veal, and leather production.
- Overview
- The domestication process
- Domestic vs. tame
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Domestic animals such as dogs, cats, and cattle have been genetically adapted over generations to live alongside humans.
Domesticated animals are animals that have been selectively bred and genetically adapted over generations to live alongside humans. They are genetically distinct from their wild ancestors or cousins.
Animal domestication falls into three main groupings: domestication for companionship (dogs and cats), animals farmed for food (sheep, cows, pigs, turkeys, etc.), and working or draft animals (horses, donkeys, camels).
Animals that make good candidates for domestication typically share certain traits:
Domestication happens through selective breeding. Individuals that exhibit desirable traits are selected to be bred, and these desirable traits are then passed along to future generations.
Wolves were the first animal to be domesticated, sometime between 33,000 and 11,000 years ago. After domesticated dogs came the domestication of livestock animals, which coincided with a widespread shift from foraging to farming among many cultures.
Because most major acts of domestication began before recorded history, we don’t know much about the exact process behind the generations-long journey from wild animal to domesticated pet or livestock. What is clear is that the ancestors of domesticated animals must have already exhibited traits that made them somehow useful to humans—traits that may have ranged from tasty meat to warm coats to a natural affinity for people.
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A History of Dogs 101
A 2017 study found evidence that early dog-like wolves were indeed genetically disposed to be friendly. That friendliness may have triggered the first mutually beneficial relationships between humans and dogs, in which people gave dogs food or shelter in exchange for the animals’ service as guards or hunting companions. Other genetic evidence has been discovered to support a similar “self-domestication” theory for cats.
Domestication is not the same as taming. A domestic animal is genetically determined to be tolerant of humans. An individual wild animal, or wild animal born in captivity, may be tamed—their behavior can be conditioned so they grow accustomed to living alongside humans—but they are not truly domesticated and remain genetically wild.
Captive Asian elephants, for example, are often misinterpreted as domesticated, because they have been kept by humans for thousands of years. However, the majority have historically been captured from the wild and tamed for use by humans. Although then can breed in captivity, like big cats and other wild animals, they are not selectively bred, largely because of their long reproductive cycle. For this reason, there are no domesticated breeds of Asian elephants: They remain wild animals.
Learn how animals such as dogs, cats, and cattle have been selectively bred and genetically adapted to live with humans. Find out the traits, benefits, and challenges of domestication and the difference between domesticated and tame animals.
- 3 min
Domestic Animals. Domestication involves forming a mutual relationship between humans and animals that does not include predation. Not only do the animals affected change their behavior, but some animals, like the zebu and the sheep, also undergo physical changes.
Jun 3, 2023 · Learn about the different types of domestic animals that humans have trained and tamed for various purposes. Find out the characteristics, benefits, and facts of cats, dogs, rabbits, cows, pigs, buffaloes, sheep, goats, and more.
Apr 3, 2024 · Vocabulary. Domestication is the process of adapting wild plants and animals for human use. Domestic species are raised for food, work, clothing, medicine, and many other uses. Domesticated plants and animals must be raised and cared for by humans. Domesticated species are not wild. Plant Domestication.
Jan 25, 2024 · Explore the enchanting world of domestic animals through engaging videos. Learn about their names, charts, roles, videos, and more.
