6 Domestic Animals and Their Wild Ancestors

The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is thought by most scientists to have given rise to the domestic dog, a key event in the evolution of our species that may have occurred as early as 32,000 years ago and certainly by 14,000 years ago. Some scientists, however, have posited, due to a number of morphological differences between dogs and wolves, that dogs may actually be descended from an extinct wild ancestor that likely resembled contemporary pariah dogs and dingoes. Whatever its origins, the dog was the first animal to be domesticated by early humans.

Millenia of puppy love have generated more than 400 breeds of domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), ranging from the wolfish, robust Siberian husky to the shrieking, guinea-pig adjacent chihuahua. Research on the origin of dogs, and on their unique, sympatric relationships with humans, is ongoing. Now if someone would only figure out why LOLCats have such an edge over similar canine memes...

The second species of wild animal to be selectively bred by humans was the bezoar, or wild goat (Capra aegagrus). These spry, wirey ungulates might not seem like the best candidates for domestication at first blush, but their ability to turn sparse vegetation into hides, meat, and milk likely made the effort worth the while to settlers of the Fertile Crescent, who first bred them as early as 11,000 years ago. Generations of lonely goatherds ensued.

There are now more than 200 breeds of domestic goat (Capra aegagrus hircus). From tiny miniatures raised as pets to the silky cashmere goats whose coats are woven into luxurious textiles to nearly 300 pound animals bred for meat, all in a rainbow of colors and patterns, the physical diversity of the domestic goat approaches that of the dog. Odelay hee hoo!

The mouflon (Ovis orientalis) was the next target of the clever agrarians of the Fertile Crescent. Some 10,000 years ago, several sub-species of this wild sheep were hauled down from the mountains, their descendants destined to be turned into primitive precursors of the Ugg boot and shearling jacket—if that isn’t a tautology. Wool-producing varieties did not appear until several thousand years later, as evidenced by the proportion of bones belonging to young animals at older archaeological sites, which indicated early slaughter for hides and meat rather than long-term wool production.

There are some 200 breeds of domestic sheep (Ovis aries), ranging from heavy wool producers that will overheat and die if not regularly shorn, to smooth, goat-like tropical varieties. Though the sheep’s herding behavior has made it synonymous with mindless tractability, some have shown remarkable signs of intelligence, including name recognition. Think about that the next time you slide your tootsies into a certain Australian brand of footwear.

Around 9,000 years ago, someone had the temerity to ensnare a herd of terrifying wild boars (Sus scrofa), likely somewhere in present day Turkey. It is likely that Chinese and European wild boars were domesticated separately. Whatever their provenance, their ancestors were condemned to subsistence on human offal; pigs often wandered the streets of ancient towns, gobbling up garbage and turning it into easily accessible meat.

Oh wow, look at them now! The surly wild boar has been developed into some 70 breeds of domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus), from the immediately recognizable pink swine—à la Wilbur—to hairy, monstrous land breeds—domestic animals that have evolved to suit the conditions where they are found. Among the most maligned of domestic animals, pigs are nonetheless highly intelligent, and, if recent medical advances are any indication, they may be growing you a new heart—you know, to replace the one you clogged with bacon fat.

The wild horse (Equus ferus) was probably domesticated some 6,000 years ago in what is now Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Early domestic horses were milked and eaten as well as used for transportation, practices memorably depicted in fantasy author George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. (Raw horse heart, anyone?) The progenitor of the horse as we know it no longer exists in the wild, though it likely resembled the related Przewalski’s horse (Equus przewalskii).

There are over 200 breeds of horse (Equus caballus), as well as hundreds more local varieties unrecognized by breeding assocations. Though the success of films like Seabiscuit and War Horse testify to the continued valorization of the equine, once worshipped as a god or goddess in some cultures, horse meat is still widely consumed. In 2013, a major scandal erupted when a European processor mislabeled horse meat as beef, prompting many companies to recall products that contained it.

The African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica) is considered the ancestor of all domestic cats, with some evidence pointing to at least some level of domestication as early as 9,500 years ago in Cyprus. One archaeological expedition in China found cat bones dating to 5,300 years ago. They were certainly domesticated in Egypt some 4,000 years ago, likely from animals attracted to the mice that plagued grain storage facilities.

The International Cat Assocation recognizes over 50 breeds of domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus); most national breed associations recognize fewer. Though cats come in a diversity of colors, body forms, and fur types, all but a few are exclusively descended from the African wildcat. A handful, such as the Bengal, Chausie, and Ocicat, however, resulted from out-crosses to various other small wild cat species. They have since been backcrossed to other domestic breeds and been selected for docile temperament over many generations.