Humans have been shaping the natural world for thousands of years, turning wild animals into loyal companions and untamed plants into essential crops. The process of domestication has not only transformed species but also revolutionized human civilization. From the first wolves that became dogs to the grains that fueled empires, these 50 fascinating facts reveal the incredible history and science behind domestication
1 Silk Moths Fully Rely on Humans
Humans domesticated the silk moth 5,000 years ago for sericulture. Over time, silk moths lost their ability to fly, their fear of predators, and their native color pigments since camouflage became unnecessary in captivity. Today, they rely entirely on humans for survival, including finding mates.
2. Scientists have discovered that two main populations of dingoes in Australia, Western and Eastern, do not share close ancestry. These populations might represent separate waves of humans bringing domesticated dogs or wolves to Australia between 8,000 and 3,000 years ago.
3. Cats essentially domesticated themselves. Unlike most animals, they approached humans voluntarily. Cats remained largely unchanged until the Middle Ages, and, even now, their genetics remain extremely close to their wild ancestors.
4. Monkeys in Ethiopia have successfully “domesticated” wild wolves by cooperating with them to hunt small rodents. These wolves coexist peacefully with the monkeys, even with their young, and focus solely on hunting smaller prey instead of attacking the primates.
5. Nearly all the fruits, vegetables, and animals that humans consume today have been domesticated and do not exist in their original wild forms. However, we still consume some foods as they naturally grow in the wild, such as certain berries, nuts, and mushrooms. Humans have selectively bred species for over 12,000 years.
6 Dogs Evolved Muscles for Emotion
As dogs became domesticated in a remarkably short time, they evolved specific muscles that allow them to raise their inner eyebrows to manipulate human emotions. Dogs that perform this facial movement are more likely to be adopted from shelters compared to those that do not.
7. Scientific evidence confirms that the egg came before the chicken. First, a bird that was not a chicken laid the first egg. Second, the first amniotic (hard-shelled) egg appeared on land around 312 million years ago. Also, modern chickens do not exist in the wild. They are the result of domesticating the Red Junglefowl, a bird native to South Asia that lives in trees and can actually fly.
8. When humans domesticated wolves, they unintentionally bred traits resembling Williams syndrome into dogs. This condition is characterized by cognitive differences and an innate tendency to love everyone.
9. Drooping ears represent a common trait in domesticated animals and rarely occur in the wild, except in elephants. The famous silver fox domestication experiment revealed that selecting the tamest foxes for breeding led to rapid tameness, floppy ears, curly tails, and mottled coats, traits also observed in other domesticated species.
10. Ants invented agriculture 50 to 60 million years ago, around the same time primates first appeared in the fossil record. These ants cultivate domesticated fungus in underground greenhouses and tend to it by watering, weeding, and managing pests and diseases.
11 Domestication Versus Animal Taming
Domestication differs significantly from taming. While you can tame many wild animals to prevent them from attacking you, domestication involves genetic changes within the species.
12. Ancient Egyptians attempted to domesticate cheetahs as house pets and even trained them for hunting purposes.
13. Tribes in New Guinea tried to domesticate cassowaries approximately 18,000 years ago.
14. The “wild” horses we see today are actually “feral” horses, descended from domesticated ancestors. Experts believe that no truly wild horses may exist on Earth anymore.
15. During the Soviet era, officials attempted to domesticate moose for use in cavalry units.
16 Domestic Rabbits Can’t Breed Wildly
Domesticated rabbits cannot interbreed with wild rabbits because they belong to different species.
17. Due to extensive human intervention, domestic sheep have evolved to depend on humans for shearing, as their wool no longer sheds naturally.
18. Domesticated llamas that receive excessive human attention can develop a psychological condition known as Beerserk Llama Syndrome. This disorder causes them to view their handlers as fellow llamas, often leading to increased aggression and violence toward humans.
19. All domesticated hamsters kept as pets today are descendants of a single “Adam and Eve” pair captured in Aleppo, Syria, in 1930.
20. Approximately 81 cows, captured and domesticated in the Anatolia region of Turkey (Asia Minor) around 11,000 years ago, are the ancestors of modern cattle.
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
21 Aztecs Domesticated Tomatoes
The Aztecs in Mexico domesticated tomatoes, which originated in South America and are now a staple of Italian cuisine. Hernán Cortés discovered tomatoes there and sent them to Europe.
22. Domesticated blueberries have been around for just over 100 years. Scientists once believed they could not be domesticated until they discovered that blueberries thrive in acidic soil.
23. Humans domesticated avocados 5,000 years ago, making avocado cultivation as old as the invention of the wheel.
24. India domesticated the zebu, or humped cattle. While modern cattle have different origins, India played a crucial role in domesticating the ancestor of these animals. The first cowboys were, in fact, Indians.
25. A South African man named Marius Els adopted a baby hippo, attempted to domesticate it, and was tragically killed by the same hippo in the river where he had rescued it.
RE: Fact #46 (Rabbits Domesticated for Lent Consumption) – So that’s Easter eggs explained.
RE: Fact #12 (Egyptians Attempted Cheetah Domestication) – To me, “tried” sounds like things didn’t go so well for some Egyptians.
Cheetahs are pretty chill with people, so I doubt that.
Hey Bob, chill! If he wanted to kill you, it would’ve happened already. He’s into you. Seriously, he *really* likes you. Just relax, this’ll all blow over.
That old factrepublic article got me thinking. Apparently, there’s a lot out there about people keeping cheetahs as pets, but nobody’s sure if there was ever a tame kind that went extinct or just mixed back in with the wild ones, or if it was always just wild cheetahs.
RE: Fact #39 (Guinea Pigs: Peruvian Cuisine Staple) – I’m Peruvian. Someone put it perfectly: a whole lot of effort for not much meat. But up in the mountains, it was easy to get and a good source of protein because they breed like rabbits.
RE: Fact #10 (Ants Invented Agriculture for Fungus) – They have colonies all over the place and even fight each other!
RE: Fact #4 (Ethiopian Monkeys and Wolves Cooperate) – It’s happening again!
If monkeys ever figure out how to use rocks as tools, we’re toast.
Don’t leave any weird obelisks around.
That cool monkey you liked is gonna be back, big time.
It’s all been done before, and it’ll all happen again.
RE: Fact #9 (Drooping Ears in Domesticated Animals) – Check out some YouTube videos on those foxes—I think it was an accident. They were trying to breed out the aggression, but ended up with fluffier foxes with floppier ears and tails, and different eye colors.
They aimed for friendliness, but ended up with a bunch of baby-like features. So, basically, we made the grown-ups act like babies. Makes sense, especially with animals that aren’t naturally social, like foxes. They’re only friendly as babies or when mating – getting grumpy as they age.
Maybe it’s because they don’t have to constantly watch out for danger. That constant worry is exhausting, it really is.
Hyper vigilance really wears you down. It’s rough.
If I remember correctly, they had curly, not floppy, tails.
My wife, who’s a biologist, says they both had those traits. Still, just because things happen together doesn’t mean one causes the other. Genetics are complicated.
RE: Fact #17 (Sheep Need Humans for Shearing) – Any wild sheep still around? What animal did we breed to get our domestic sheep? And what do those wild ones look like?
Wild sheep exist. Domestic sheep came from breeding local wild sheep over tons of generations—it really depends on the location. After all that time, they become totally different.
RE: Fact #35 (Domestic Hamsters Hibernate in Winters) – I really hope my parents were right about those hamsters that mysteriously “died”… phew!
RE: Fact #2 (Australia’s Two Distinct Dingo Populations) – That’s pretty interesting, right? The dogs in the east are all related back to New Guinea singing dogs and eventually China, but the western ones aren’t. Their genes are closer to European breeds, meaning they probably came from somewhere else—maybe India or so. And get this: all dogs today come from just five original groups.
RE: Fact #24 (India’s Role in Zebu Domestication) – So, how’d they play cowboys and Indians if all the cowboys were actually Indians?
RE: Fact #17 (Sheep Need Humans for Shearing) – That’s not entirely right. Lots of hair sheep are still raised for meat and milk. You see more wool sheep because wool’s a bigger deal than sheep milk or meat, in most places anyway. But tons of smaller farms raise hair sheep.
They’re perfect for smaller farms because you get meat and milk without the shearing hassle. Shearing usually needs a pro, and small farmers might not have one nearby or it might not be worth it for a small flock. Plus, there’s not much of a market for small amounts of raw wool, but you can easily sell meat and cheese at farmers’ markets.
RE: Fact #1 (Silk Moths Fully Rely on Humans) – Like most farm animals, they totally rely on us for everything, even finding a partner.
Pigs, though? Different story. They go wild super fast, and suddenly you’re dealing with a whole bunch of mean pigs that’ll eat anything and multiply like crazy.
Wow, that’s an awesome food source! Let’s tame them.
That’s not really true. Let loose a bunch of cows in a pasture, and they’ll quickly act like wild cows again. Silk moths are totally different; drop them in a mulberry grove and they’ll just sit there and wait to be rescued. They’re probably the only animal that’s been domesticated to that extent. Tussah silk moths, though, need to fly free to breed, making them much harder to farm.
RE: Fact #26 (Caribou and Reindeer: Same Species) – “Rudolph the red-nosed caribou” just doesn’t sound right, does it?
RE: Fact #8 (Dogs Share Traits with Williams Syndrome) – I brought my sis with me when I left home. This research really explains a lot.
She’s already psyched about my birthday, five months away! She randomly texts me “I love you.” She gets so excited over little things – like, seriously, she’s blown away when I bring her dinner. She might not get algebra, but she loves harder than anyone I know.
Bottom line: my sister has Williams syndrome, and she’s like a golden retriever who can text.
My sister has Williams syndrome – she’s like a golden retriever who texts!
It reminds me of those funny fake dog texts that were all the rage.
RE: Fact #12 (Egyptians Attempted Cheetah Domestication) – I went out with this girl who worked with big cats—she said lions were pretty straightforward. Hungry, you’re toast, but if they’re fed, they’re basically giant lazy dogs, all about conserving energy. Cheetahs though? Total weirdos, like a tiny, unpredictable dog. You never know what they’re up to, so you treat them with caution. Panthers? She called them jerks. Sweet, cuddly jerks who’d eat you in a heartbeat.
That’s what chatting with a zookeeper sounds like.
So, panthers, right? She called them cuddly, sweet assholes who’d eat you in a heartbeat.
I think Ego from Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is the perfect panther. That’s what happens when you’re at the very top of the food chain.
We humans won by being smart, though. Panthers are ultimate killing machines. Nothing else on Earth compares… maybe killer whales, and possibly some seriously freaky insects, but yeah, they’re insane.
Some animals are way scarier than panthers, man.
RE: Fact #4 (Ethiopian Monkeys and Wolves Cooperate) – A great pairing! I think they’re gonna be huge.
RE: Fact #28 (Pigs Quickly Revert to Wild State) – Yeah, growing up near a pig farm, we’d mess with those pigs—shooting them in the rear with BB guns. We’d have to go through the woods, and sometimes these wild pigs would chase us. Man, they were vicious! Years later, I figured out they were just escaped farm pigs gone wild. And before you get all worked up, we were just dumb kids, we’d even shoot each other for fun too. We weren’t trying to hurt the pigs.
RE: Fact #5 (Modern Diet’s Domesticated Origins) – No cheeseburger trees? Seriously?
RE: Fact #12 (Egyptians Attempted Cheetah Domestication) – Picture a cheetah tearing through the house at 3 AM, hitting 70 mph in the hallway.
Banging itself up against doors.
If the rug burn doesn’t get it, a headfirst oven dive will.
RE: Fact #36 (Indo Gigante: 1.2-Meter Chicken Breed) – That’s ancient.
RE: Fact #7 (Egg Predates Chicken Domestication) – Then, bam! An egg with two yolks showed up.
It’s not unusual for chickens to lay double-yolk eggs at certain times of year. Farmers often give them away or keep them themselves because people don’t usually buy them, and stores often send them back. My mom gets them free from a local farmer.
Cantonese folks will pay extra for eggs with double yolks—they think it’s lucky! And they’ll happily pay for fresh fish heads, too.
RE: Fact #45 (Mayan Turkeys Honored as Divine Vessels) – My wife’s an anthropology grad student, and she’s done a bunch of work on the Maya, especially their bird beliefs. She hadn’t seen this before. Thanks for sharing!
RE: Fact #2 (Australia’s Two Distinct Dingo Populations) – Crazy, right? Australia didn’t have dogs until relatively recently – like, 8,000 to 3,000 years ago. Aboriginal Australians went without dogs for a huge chunk of their history.
RE: Fact #19 (All Pet Hamsters from One Pair) – Hamsters, because of all the inbreeding, often get heart problems from birth. It’s almost as common in them as it is in people.
Happened to us too. Way back when, humans went through a real genetic squeeze. I’m too plastered to find the info, so someone else will have to look that up.
A giant volcano blew its top, covering everything in ash, and it got super cold. Most people died, so everyone alive today is more genetically alike than two chimps from different parts of the jungle.
RE: Fact #18 (Berserk Llama Syndrome from Human Attention) – We sold a super friendly male llama, Criasto, to a friend. She adored him, he was such a sweetie! But years later, things went south – they should’ve fixed him, but ended up shooting him instead.
That Old Yeller episode was strange.
That got pretty grim at the end.
RE: Fact #30 (Eland Milk Lasts Eighty Times Longer) – Milking an eland seems way riskier than milking a cow.
RE: Fact #28 (Pigs Quickly Revert to Wild State) – Is this real or fake? One guy says it’s true, but others think he’s full of it. What’s the story?
RE: Fact #15 (Soviets Tried Domesticated Moose Cavalry) – Canada’s had this tech for ages. They called it “Operation: Is That A Fu*king Moose!?”
RE: Fact #13 (New Guinea’s Ancient Cassowary Domestication) – Turns out, those early humans were way smarter than we used to think, at least according to the New York Times.
Eighteen thousand years ago, people were basically just like us.
This might sound weird, but “culturally modern” just means they were as smart and learned as we are. If you could go back in time and bring a baby from then to now, they’d grow up perfectly normal.
Even what they’re calling “sophisticated intelligence” is just figuring out how to find food in tough spots. It makes it sound like early humans were total dummies. Some folks, like, John Locke, think early humans were unintelligent, but actually, they were incredibly smart for their time.
RE: Fact #9 (Drooping Ears in Domesticated Animals) – So that’s why cats’ ears perk up – they were never really tamed!
Look, some dog breeds *do* have floppy ears, but they’re kinda goofy-looking.
I’m pretty sure you’re right though. Cats were basically bred to be independent hunters.
They were pretty chill, but definitely not house cats. Still, I adored my kitties and totally waited on them hand and foot until they passed.
Cats basically domesticated themselves. They started hanging around farms because of all the mice, and we kept them around ’cause we thought they were adorable little killers.
RE: Fact #3 (Cats: Self-Domesticated Hunters) – Dog people: “Let’s breed these super strong, loyal pups for all sorts of jobs – and make them look totally different!”
Cat people: “They’re adorable and catch mice. Leave ’em be.”
Adorable little murder balls.
I watched one of my cats playfully mess with a louse. It totally changed how I see them playing.
Mom and Dad’s cat is a total pain, but that old house? She’s a mouser extraordinaire. I watched her track a mouse for, like, half a day. Seriously dedicated.
My cat’s usually a chubby couch potato, but when we had a mouse a couple years back, he totally became a ninja! It was like a switch flipped. Then, poof, back to his lazy self after we got rid of the mouse.
We had a mouse problem under the oven, so we got an exterminator to set traps. They got a few mice, then left. Our cat, though, she’d hang out by the oven for hours every night. We’d joke that all the mice were gone, but nope! Three months later, we started finding half-eaten mice everywhere – she’d been hunting them the whole time! Years later, no mice, but she’s back by the oven again. Same joke, same result – more dead mice a couple weeks later. Turns out, she’s the real expert on house mice, haha!
RE: Fact #1 (Silk Moths Fully Rely on Humans) – It’s wild how one species can completely dominate another, changing who they are and what they’re supposed to be.
Way back when, the mitochondria in your cells were probably their own tiny single-celled creatures. Now they’re basically the powerhouses of your body.
It’s a win-win situation.
So, just because we get rid of them doesn’t mean they aren’t getting something out of it. The whole point of living is to live, be useful or live long enough to have kids, and then die. If they’ve lost everything that helps them survive and still manage to do that, it’s just nature doing its thing.
RE: Fact #16 (Domestic Rabbits Can’t Breed Wildly) – So, how’d a man and a cow have a Minotaur kid, then? Explain that to me.
RE: Fact #25 (Hippo Domestication Attempt Ends Tragically) – It was trained, not truly domesticated.
Doesn’t sound very tamed, then.
That’s a good point.
That’s exactly what I thought when I saw read the source article! Domestication is basically when humans breed a species to do what we want. The Wikipedia page on it really clears things up.
I reckon a big part of being domesticated is that the animal doesn’t usually want to kill people. Take dogs, for example – they could easily tear your throat out, but they almost never do because they’re not inclined to. Same with cows: they could trample you flat, but farmers walk around them all the time without a second thought. That’s why I think cats aren’t totally domesticated; if they *could* kill you, a lot of people believe they would.
RE: Fact #28 (Pigs Quickly Revert to Wild State) – That’s just not right. It takes ages – at least a whole generation – for a house pig to get those wild pig features. Those genes for things like tusks, hair, and meanness don’t just switch on in a grown pig; it’d have to be a baby pig. Any wildlife expert will tell you that’s nonsense – it can’t happen in one generation.
RE: Fact #37 (Class Divide Reflects Food Names) – That’s how French fries got their name – we grew the potatoes, but fancy French folks claimed them!
RE: Fact #13 (New Guinea’s Ancient Cassowary Domestication) – Cassowaries still hold a grudge.
They totally ambushed me a few times while I was sneaking around that pirate base in Far Cry 3. It was like that “clever girl” scene from Jurassic Park – they waited until I put down my scope to pounce.
RE: Fact #8 (Dogs Share Traits with Williams Syndrome) – Taming animals mostly means picking the friendliest ones, and maybe we humans are friendlier now because of all the dogs and other animals we’ve tamed. I’d say the opposite of friendly here is scared.
RE: Fact #14 (Feral Horses Descend from Domesticated Ones) – If they were there, they’d probably have hooked up.
I got totally sucked into a Google search. Crazy, but wild horses actually originated in North America, wandered over to Asia, and then died out here. Then, fast forward a bunch of years—the Spanish brought them back in 1493.
Camels originally evolved in America, then wandered over to Asia during an ice age. They died out in North America around when the first people showed up. Now, the only wild camels left are Bactrian camels in the Gobi Desert, and even they’re in trouble. All other wild camels are probably just escaped domestic camels.
RE: Fact #20 (Modern Cattle Originated in Turkey) – Turns out, we all come from a tiny group of maybe 1,000 to 10,000 couples—way back 70,000 years ago. And we’ve been through population shrinks before, too.
RE: Fact #8 (Dogs Share Traits with Williams Syndrome) – They don’t really explain Williams Syndrome completely. People with it have trouble controlling their thoughts and feelings. Sometimes they’re sweet, but other times they can be really mean, even nasty and hateful. I saw an 11-year-old go from being all cuddly to peeing on their shoe and hitting someone else – instantly!
Yeah, I’ve worked with a couple people who have Williams syndrome. They’re amazing, but they can also be really tough. And super stubborn, too.
Sounds like a typical 11-year-old.
RE: Fact #34 (Alpacas: Domesticated Vicuña Relatives) – Vicuñas have the softest hair of any animal used for clothes – seriously pricey stuff!
RE: Fact #25 (Hippo Domestication Attempt Ends Tragically) – More people die from hippos in Africa each year than from lions.
More people die from them annually than from lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and rhinos put together.
RE: Fact #15 (Soviets Tried Domesticated Moose Cavalry) – Get ready for a bloody good time. The Moose Riders, coming this fall on HBO.
Keep it under wraps.
RE: Fact #25 (Hippo Domestication Attempt Ends Tragically) – Talk about hypocrisy!
I’m sticking around all night, everyone.
RE: Fact #27 (Humans Domesticated Mold for Soy Sauce) – I just noticed how many yummy foods we eat are actually fermented! Think cheese, wine, beer, bread, soy sauce – the list goes on.
Kimchi
RE: Fact #29 (Wild and Pet Dogs Scavenge Differently) – That mouth lick pic is awesome.
That dog picture is the best thing about all this.
He’s starving and needs to eat.
RE: Fact #40 (Street Pigeons Descend from Domesticated Ones) – Baby pigeons are invisible until they’re all grown up.
RE: Fact #21 (Aztecs Domesticated Tomatoes ) – Before Columbus and all that, Europeans ate totally different foods.
Some Koreans really don’t like the idea that kimchi didn’t always have chili peppers. A few people have even spent ages writing crazy stuff, just to avoid admitting kimchi isn’t completely Korean.
Some jerk was arguing with me that the potato isn’t really Irish because they’ve been eating them for ages.
Peanuts, potatoes, avocados, beans—wow, those ancient Mesoamericans really knew how to grow stuff! The wild versions of many of these plants? Forget about it, they’re either inedible or poisonous.
RE: Fact #31 (Ants Domesticate Aphids for Honeydew) – Apparently, ants sometimes clip aphids’ wings so they can’t escape. They also use stuff on their feet to keep the aphids’ wings from even growing properly.
People brand cows with hot irons, cut off their horns, and even shove magnets down their throats before slaughtering them for meat. We’re not so different, really.
Maybe he meant they’re kinda scary ’cause they’re so much like us 🙂
RE: Fact #17 (Sheep Need Humans for Shearing) – If people vanished and sheep were left, would their wool keep them safe or get them killed?
RE: Fact #40 (Street Pigeons Descend from Domesticated Ones) – Domestic pigeons came from wild ones. So, street pigeons are basically wild pigeons, but with a longer history of domestication.
RE: Fact #42 (Ferrets Are Domesticated European Polecats) – Ferrets are kinda like cats; they domesticated themselves because it was mutually beneficial. Like cats, they hunt mice and other small rodents, which humans liked, so they let them hang out in barns, farms, and houses.
This gradually led to ferrets and humans living together. Eventually, people realized ferrets were *amazing* hunters, especially rabbits and other small game.
Then humans started breeding and domesticating ferrets for hunting—it’s like dog hunting, but with a ferret! And these little guys are really good at it.
So good, in fact, that some European countries put limits on ferret hunting based on land ownership. Think “one ferret per ten acres” kind of restrictions. They were *that* good.
You know how kiwis disappeared from New Zealand? Ferrets. And now they’re illegal pets there. Seriously, they smell like fritos and grape Kool-Aid powder.
A ferret’s smell mostly comes from its diet. Stinky ferrets usually get fed junk. Garbage in, garbage out. We feed ours freeze-dried raw food and Epigen 90 kibble, and they smell good.
Ferrets aren’t the most social pets at first. They take forever to warm up. Unlike dogs, they like being around you, but not being touched. Pet them, and they’ll scoot away, looking offended. It takes a while to learn how to pet them right, maybe a couple of years.
They sleep 18+ hours a day. They’re sleepy creatures, alternating between sleeping soundly and being tiny furry tornados. An hour of crazy activity, then back to sleep for hours.
Ferrets make this sound called “dooking,” and it’s awesome. It’s hard to describe, but you can find videos. One of ours only dooks when we squeak a toy; she just waddles around happily dooking for ten minutes. No idea why, but she seems to enjoy it.
Ferrets need big, strong cages. I see so many ferrets in tiny rabbit cages—they’re way too small, and ferrets can even die in them. They’re great at squeezing through spaces, and the flimsy wire can let their heads through, then they get stuck and suffocate.
I recommend Ferret Nation or Critter Nation cages. They’re the best, and almost every ferret owner loves them.
Ferrets need tons of free roam time. Yes, they sleep a lot, but they’re much happier if they can choose where to sleep. Ours usually pick a spot outside their cage during the day. We have a whole room for them with toys and enrichment, plus their cage with a ramp.
Aim for at least six hours of free roam time daily. Ferret-proof your home; it’s a lot of work, but it makes free roam much easier. Baby gates and removing couch feet are your friends.
Ferrets love to stash things. They’re like little dragons, hoarding tiny treasures. One of ours steals socks; I often find her pile of stolen socks, sometimes with her sleeping on top. A tiny sock dragon! They’ll stash anything they can move.
Don’t bathe ferrets. They clean themselves. A warm, wet cloth is fine occasionally.
If you *must* bathe them, use only warm water—no soap! Ferrets have important protective oils; soap removes them, causing itchy, dry skin, and making them smellier. Water alone cleans off dust and dirt without messing with those oils.
Hope you enjoyed these ferret facts! Ask any questions you have!
RE: Fact #13 (New Guinea’s Ancient Cassowary Domestication) – They still keep them in cages. Basically, domestication is all about breeding animals to be more useful to us. I have no clue how different they are now.
RE: Fact #13 (New Guinea’s Ancient Cassowary Domestication) – Fifteen minutes later: Nope, it’s not working.
RE: Fact #18 (Berserk Llama Syndrome from Human Attention) – Hey man, that guy’s been around a ton lately. I’m starting to think he’s a total llama.
Whoa, dude, you’re totally right!
“Motherfucker’s a llama yo.”
RE: Fact #15 (Soviets Tried Domesticated Moose Cavalry) – Now I get why Boris Badenov was always chasing Moose and Squirrel.
RE: Fact #22 (Blueberries Domesticated in Past Century) – Can you grow huckleberries?
Huckleberries, blueberries, currants, and even elderberries—though not quite as well—thrive near big oak trees. Those trees create the perfect spot: acidic soil and some shade make berry bushes really happy.
If only Blackberries had known that back then!