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How did domestication change animals over time?
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Origins of agriculture
Harvesting wheat on a farm in the grain belt near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. A potash mine appears in the distant background.
Domestication is a process of hereditary reorganization where humans select for specific traits to meet their needs, fundamentally altering animals from their wild ancestors. Through artificial selection, humans have exploited the natural mutation pool within populations to create breeds that would not survive in the wild.12
Key changes include:
- Behavioral Shifts: Most domesticated animals are more docile than their wild counterparts. Selection for tameness can trigger a cascade of changes, as seen in experiments where animals developed social behaviors like tail-wagging and seeking human attention.34
- Biological and Seasonal Changes: Domesticated species often lose strict seasonal reproduction and molting rhythms, allowing them to reproduce at almost any time of year.2
- Morphological Changes: Humans have selected for increased utility, such as higher yields of meat, milk, or wool. Additionally, traits like floppy ears, shortened limbs, and novel coat patterns often emerge as genetic byproducts of selection for tameness.34
- Developmental Timing: Changes in the rates and timing of developmental processes, such as the onset of fear responses, have widened the window for social bonding between humans and animals.4