Domestication

About this book

We share the earth with a wide variety of animal species, each of which brings something special to the diversity of the planet. By knowing more about how animals behave and live, we gain a greater understanding of how life evolved and the importance of biodiversity.

"Domestication" investigates the animal behavioural trait with which we are most familiar - how various species of animals have, over the last few millennia, become useful members of human societies. Each chapter examines a particular type of domestication, and includes an account of an example species that examines their biology, their domestication history, the results of domestication on their shape, size, colour and physiology, and their behaviour before and after domestication.

Contents

Chapters include: Taming the Wolf - how pre-modern humans domesticated the animals that now share our homes and households; Changing Nature - the new domesticated animals of the 20th century, including monkeys bred for the pet trade, Ilamas hybridised with alpacas for greater pet appeal and woollier coats, the production of fennec foxes, albino hedgehogs and mutant hairless guinea pigs; Conservation by Domestication - how zoos attempt to maintain species purity in breeding, which results in a form of domestication; and, Feral Animals - the fate of domesticated animals that become re-established in the wild, such as feral pigs, feral cats, and wild horses.

Customer Reviews

Biography

Clive Roots has been a zoo director for many years. He has travelled the world collecting live animals for zoo conservation programmes, and has written many books on zoos and natural history.