The "birdsandbats" Guide to Domestic Animals

Domestic Animals are a group of animals we as ZooChatters often overlook. But they are just as amazing as the wild species we are all 'familiaris' with.

Okay, that pun was awful. Anyway, this guide will be a bit different than the mammal taxonomy photographic guides done by TLD, Chlidonias, lintworm, and Kakapo. This guide will be sorted by the animal's domestication date. Information about the domestic animals will be included with each entry, as well as a photos of both the domestic animal and its wild ancestor from the ZooChat gallery.

 

Domestic Dog Canis lupus familiaris
Ancestor: Gray Wolf Canis lupus
Domestication Date: circa 13000 BCE
Reason for Domestication (original): Dogs were likely used for a variety of reasons, such as hunting, warmth, and sanitation.
Current use: Dogs are currently used for a variety of things such as pets, hunting, herding, guarding, fighting, racing, sport, show, meat, service and much, much more.
Location domesticated: Europe
Notes: Likely the first animal to be domesticated.


Photo of a Domestic Dog by @BeardsleyZooFan at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo, United States


Photo of a Gray Wolf by @Kyle's Creatures at Detroit Zoo, United States.

 

Domestic Goat Capra aegagrus hircus
Ancestor: Bezoar Ibex Capra aegagrus aegagrus
Domestication Date: circa 10000 BCE
Reason for Domestication (original): Goats were probably originally farmed for meat, skin, milk, and fur.
Current use: meat, skin, fur, racing, fighting, milk, show, grazing/clearing land
Location domesticated: Iran


Photo of a Domestic Goat by @ThylacineAlive at Action Wildlife, United States


Photo of Bezoar Ibexes by @fofo at Dezful Zoo, Iran

 

Domestic Pig Sus scrofa domesticus
Ancestor: Anatolian Boar Sus scrofa libycus, Northern Chinese Boar Sus scrofa moupinensis
Domestication Date: circa 9000 BCE
Reason for Domestication (original): meat, skin
Current use: meat, skin, research, show, fighting, racing, truffle sniffing, manure, pets
Location domesticated: Western Asia/Eastern Europe, China
Notes: The Domestic Pig is a product of two separate domestication events.


Photo of a Domestic Pig by @Parrotsandrew at The Jungle, United Kingdom


Photo of an Anatolian Boar by @alexkant at Meir Segals Garden University Zoo, Israel


Photo of Northern Chinese Boars by @Deer Forest at Chengdu Zanhuayuan Zoo, China

 

Domestic Sheep Ovis aries
Ancestor: prob. Armenian Mouflon Ovis orientalis gmelini
Domestication Date: circa 9000 BCE - 8500 BCE
Reason for Domestication (original): meat, wool
Current use: wool, meat, grazing/clearing land, milk, racing, fighting, horns, ornamental
Location domesticated: Anatolia


Photo of Domestic Sheep by @vogelcommando at Tiergarten Kleve, Germany


Photo of an Armenian Mouflon by @Tomek at Tallinn Zoo, Estonia

 

Domestic Cattle Bos taurus
Ancestor: Aurochs Bos primigenius
Domestication Date: circa 8000 BCE
Reason for Domestication (original): meat, milk, skin
Current use: meat, milk, skin, grazing/clearing land, manure, racing, fighting, transportation
Location domesticated: Western Asia, India. Most breeds come from Western Asia and are descended from B.p. primigenius. Another breed, the Zebu, originated in India and is descended from B.p. namadicus.


Photo of Domestic Cattle by @zoogiraffe at Heythrop Zoo, United Kingdom


Photo of a Zebu by @Chlidonias at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, New Zealand


Photo of an Aurochs skeleton by @DesertRhino150 at Cambridge Natural History Museum, United Kingdom

 

This is harder than it sounds! Even finding a picture of a domestic species in the ZooChat gallery is hard. ZooChatters don't seem to photograph domestic species much. But finding a good picture of a somewhat normal looking breed? That's tough. I also didn't want to over represent certain ZooChatters or countries, which makes it even harder...

 

Domestic Cat Felis catus
Ancestor: North African Wildcat Felis lybica lybica
Domestication Date: circa 8000 BCE - 7500 BCE
Reason for Domestication (original): pest control
Current use: pest control, pets, show, fur
Location domesticated: Western Asia


Photo of a Domestic Cat by @vogelcommando at Zoo Duisburg, Germany


Photo of a North African Wildcat by @ro6ca66 at Howletts Wild Animal Park, United Kingdom

 

Domestic Chicken Gallus gallus domesticus
Ancestor: Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus. There may also have been some contribution from Gray Junglefowl Gallus sonneratii.
Domestication Date: circa 6000 BCE
Reason for Domestication (original): fighting
Current use: pets, eggs, show, ornamental, meat, fighting, racing, manure, pest control
Location domesticated: Southeast Asia


Photo of Domestic Chickens by @Elephas Maximus at Lukomorye Petting Zoo, Russia


Photo of Red Junglefowl by @LaughingDove in the wild, Thailand


Photo of Gray Junglefowl by @TeaLovingDave at Berlin Zoo, Germany

 

Domestic Guinea Pig Cavia porcellus
Ancestor: Montane Guinea Pig Cavia tschudii
Domestication Date: circa 5000 BCE
Reason for Domestication (original): meat
Current use: meat, pets, research, grazing/clearing land, show
Location domesticated: Peru


Photo of a Domestic Guinea Pig by @vogelcommando at Faunapark Flakkee, Netherlands

At the time of this writing, there are no photos of the Montane Guinea Pig in the ZooChat gallery.

 

Domestic Donkey Equus africanus asinus
Ancestor: African Wild Ass Equus africanus (both Somali and Nubian involved)
Domestication date: circa 5000 BCE
Reason for Domestication (original): transportation, work
Current use: transportation, work, milk, pets, racing, meat, manure, grazing/clearing land
Location domesticated: Egypt


Photo of a Domestic Donkey by @Zia at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, United Kingdom


Photo of Somali Wild Ass by @itsallfaction at Taipei Zoo, Taiwan


Photo of a guidebook photo of a Nubian Wild Ass by @vogelcommando at Berlin Zoo, Germany

 

Domestic Mallard Anas platyrhynchos domesticus
Ancestor: Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Domestication date: circa 4000 BCE
Reason for Domestication (original): eggs, meat
Current use: eggs, meat, ornamental, pest control, show, pets
Location domesticated: China


Photo of a Domestic Mallard by @Maguari at Uilen-en Dierenpark "de Paay", Netherlands


Photo of a wild Mallard by @LSouthern in the wild, United Kingdom

 

Domestic Asian Water Buffalo Bubalus bubalis
Ancestor: prob. Wild Water Buffalo Bubalus arnee
Domestication Date: circa 4000 BCE
Reasons for Domestication (original): meat, milk
Current use: meat, milk, transportation, work, fighting
Location domesticated: Asia


Photo of a Domestic Asian Water Buffalo by @Riley at Shoalhaven Zoo, Australia


Photo of Wild Water Buffalo by @Chlidonias in the wild, India

 

Western Honey Bee (Domestic Type) Apis mellifera
Ancestor: Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera (5 subspecies involved)
Domestication Date: circa 4000 BCE
Reasons for Domestication: honey, pollination
Current use: honey, royal jelly, pollen, pollination, wax, research
Location domesticated: Egypt
Notes: Domestic status debated.


Photo of domestic Western Honey Bees by @Maguari at ZSL London Zoo, United Kingdom


Photo of wild Western Honey Bees by @Kakapo in the wild, Spain

 

Interesting idea. I like it a lot!

 

This is incorrect. Dogs were not domesticated from wolves. They share a common ancestor, like humans and other apes do. There's also a lot of disagreement about when they were first domesticated; they were likely domesticated on at least two separate occasions.

 

Honey bees in Spain are not wild.... This species originates from either Africa or Asia, but certainly not from Europe...

 

Then could you please fix that?

 

Interesting, I was always under the impression that Apis mellifera was not originally native to our region...