Domestication
...have been utilized for work, recreation, companionship as well as medical and scientific projects. Why are there so many different kinds of domesticated animal species suited for captivity? Many pets, such as different dog and livestock breeds, were bred to fulfill different purposes for human needs. The process of selective breeding of animals was at first unintentional and probably unobserved. For example, large, aggressive, and big-horned bulls were probably too dangerous to keep around and so did not survive to reproduce these characteristics. Thus, over time, early farmers unknowingly altered the genetic make-up of the life forms they most relied on.
According to Prof. Jared Diamond, must meet six criteria, in order to be considered for domestication: 1. Flexible diet (not too cumbersome or expensive)2. Grow up reasonably fast (see growth rate) 3. Be able to breed in captivity 4. Pleasant disposition 5. Unlikely to panic and 6. Modifiable social hierarchy (recognize a human as its leader).
Modifications of body size reflecting the uses to which the animal is put, loss of speed and agility, loss or decrease in size of horns or other natural weapons, biological specialization for human needs (e.g., wool production in sheep), are apparent over time. Smaller changes in disposition and intelligence occurred also. Some species of domestic animals could not survive now without human care and protection. Others, however, like the pig, can revert back easily to life in the wild. An even more fundamental reason for the presence of animals in Near Eastern agriculture, however, derives from the nutritional value of cereal grains. Humans need 12 amino acids to survive and reproduce. Cereal grains, however, supply adequate quantities of only two of the 12. Cereal diets must therefore be supplemented with protein from other sources.
Animal protein from meat or milk...
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