Domestication facts for kids
Domestication is a big change that happens to wild animals or plants. It happens when humans keep them for a very long time. The word "domestication" comes from Latin. It means "to make something suitable for home."
When people take wild animals or plants and breed them, they start to change. These changes make them more useful for humans. For example, a wild animal might become calmer. This happens because humans choose which animals or plants get to have babies. Scientists call this "artificial selection." It means humans are choosing traits, not nature.
The first plants were domesticated when agriculture (farming) began. Dogs were the very first animals to be domesticated. During a time called the Neolithic revolution, people started domesticating sheep and goats. Later, they also domesticated cattle and pigs.
Domesticated plants are things like crops (for food) or ornamental plants (for decoration). Domesticated animals are often livestock. This means they are used for food, clothing, or work. Some domesticated animals are also kept as pets.
Contents
Domesticated Plants: How They Changed
The earliest signs of plant domestication come from wheat. This wheat was found in old villages in Southwest Asia. These villages date back to about 10,500 to 10,100 BC. Places like the Fertile Crescent, Egypt, and India were where people first started farming. They planned to sow and harvest plants there.
Farming started in different places around the world at different times. Eight important crops appeared by about 7000 BC. These are sometimes called the "Neolithic founder crops." They include emmer wheat, einkorn wheat, barley, peas, lentils, bitter vetch, chickpeas, and flax.
Domesticated Animals: Our Companions
The Story of Dogs
The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) came from the grey wolf (Canis lupus). This happened tens of thousands of years ago. Domesticated dogs helped early humans in many ways. They were guard animals, helped with hunting, and pulled sleds. They also provided fur and sometimes food. This process of domestication is still happening today.
Archaeology shows that dogs might have been domesticated as early as 30,000 BC. We are sure it happened by 7,000 BC. Some evidence suggests dogs were first domesticated in East Asia.
One of the clearest signs of dog domestication is from 12,000 years ago in Palestine. A dog was found buried together with humans there.
Other Amazing Animals We Domesticated
Cats were also domesticated quite early in history. When farming began, people started to domesticate sheep and goats. Later, they added pigs and cattle to their farms. Other animals domesticated early include camels, donkeys, and horses. Some animals, like the domestic rabbit, were only domesticated more recently.
Many other animals have been changed by humans over a long time. This is not just about them living near humans. Humans actively chose which ones would breed. Here is a list of some domesticated animals:
Domesticated Birds
Domesticated Mammals
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Domesticated Fish
Domesticated Insects
Images for kids
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Succulents like this jelly bean plant (Sedum rubrotinctum) need infrequent watering, making them convenient as houseplants.
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Karakul sheep and shepherds in Iran. Photograph by Harold F. Weston, 1920s
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The red junglefowl of Southeast Asia was domesticated, apparently for cockfighting, some 7,000 years ago.
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Sericulturalists preparing silkworms for spinning of the silk
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Farmers with wheat and cattle – Ancient Egyptian art 3,400 years ago
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Button mushrooms are widely cultivated for food.
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Industrialized wheat harvest – North America today
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See also
- Pet
- Wildlife
In Spanish: Domesticación para niños
