W4: L20 = Palaeozoology [Animal Domestication] (Prof. Shaw)

Question 1

Domestication?

Answer 1

= when wild animals are kept & bred for human benefit, resulting in reliance on people & leading to physiological changes.

Question 2

Thing to note about Domestication?

Answer 2

• All domesticated animals have a wild ancestor (eg, dogs wild ancestor is wolves).

Question 3

Domesticated VS Tamed? (2)

Answer 3

• Domesticated
  = long term.
  = animals/plants become new species.
  = occurs over generations.
• Tamed
  = simple.
  = animal is just used to humans.
  = occurs over a short period.

Question 4

Domesticated attributes? (3)

Answer 4

• Long term.
• Animals/plants become new species.
• Occurs over generations.

Question 5

Tamed attributes? (3)

Answer 5

• Simple.
• Animal is just used tp humans.
• Occurs over a short period.

Question 6

Wild animal?

Answer 6

= animal living/growing in the natural environment & is not domesticated.

Question 7

Tamed animal?

Answer 7

= behavioural modification of a wild-born animal when its natural avoidance of humans is reduced & it accepts the presence of humans.

Question 8

Egs of wild animals? (2)

Answer 8

• Elphants.
• Zebras.

Question 9

Egs of tamed animals? (3)

Answer 9

• Lions.
• Cheetahs.
• Squirrels.

Question 10

Domestic animal?

Answer 10

= permanent genetic modification of a bred lineage that leads to an inherited predisposition towards humans.

Question 11

Egs of domestic animals? (7)

Answer 11

• Horses.
• Sheep.
• Chickens.
• Dogs.
• Cats.
• Turkey.
• Cattle.

Question 12

Breed?

Answer 12

= variation within domestic species.

Question 13

Egs of breed? (2)

Answer 13

• Domesticated cows of 2 varieties.
• Dog breeds.

Question 14

Commensal animal?

Answer 14

= animals that prefer human shelter & food (not domesticated).

Question 15

Eg of commensal animal?

Answer 15

Rats.

Question 16

Feral animal?

Answer 16

= animal that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals (became wild again).

Question 17

Eg of feral animal?

Answer 17

Horses in Namibia.

Question 18

Why are there so few domestic animals?/Why is there a small % of animals that were domesticated?

Answer 18

It’s because:

• These animals (often small to medium) had the flexibility to spread across the globe.
• There are criteria an animal must possess traits to be domesticated.

Question 19

Criteria for domestication? (8)

Answer 19

• Must be able to find food around human settlements (diet).
• Must grow fast enough to be worth keeping (growth rate).
• Must be able to breed in captivity without complex courtship.
• Pleasant disposition (little to no aggressiveness).
• Unlikely to panic when handled.
• Must accept humans as leaders (social hierarchy).
• Must have a use.
• Animals must be at the bottom of the food pyramid.

Question 20

Causes of animal domestication? (2)

Answer 20

• Climatic changes.
• Environmental changes.

Question 21

Course of animal domestication? (4)

Answer 21

• Climatic & environmental changes made obtaining food difficult.
• Cold & arid conditions forced humans to intensify foraging strategies.
• Favourable conditions & increased human populations led to animal (& plant) domestication, and allowed humans to augment their food.
• Areas with increased agriculture & continued animal domestication saw urbanisation, high-density populations, expanded economies, which became centres for domestication (Eurasia, North Africa, South & Central America).

Question 22

Course of animal domestication times? (3)

Answer 22

• Last Glacial Maximum (21 000 bp).
• Younger Dryas (12 900 bp).
• Holocene (10 000 bp).

Question 23

Changes in domestic animals attributes? (4)

Answer 23

• Domesticated animals differ from their wild ancestor.
• Domestication is a slow process, & may take many animal generations, depending on the species.
• Domestic animals can still interbreed with their wild counterparts.
• Differences include size, colour changes, shrinkage of the brain, skeletal differences, behavioural changes.

Question 24

Domesticated animals attributes? (3)

Answer 24

• Differ from their wild ancestor.
• Differ in many aspects.
• Can still interbreed with their wild counterparts.

Question 25

In what ways do domesticated animals differ from their wild ancestor? (5)

Answer 25

• Size.
• Colour changes.
• Shrinkage of the brain (eg, dogs).
• Skeletal differences.
• Behavioural changes.

Question 26

Uses for domestic animals? (13)

Answer 26

• Meat.
• Eggs.
• Blood.
• Wool.
• Dung.
• Hide.
• Horns (as implements).
• Milk.
• Bone.
• Pack-and traction animals.
• Protection.
• Companion.
• Assisting in hunting.

Question 27

Impacts of domestic animals on human society? (15)

Answer 27

• Change from hunting-gathering to animal husbandry formed the foundation for modern civilisation.
• Settled way of life (rise of villages & cities).
• Increased human populations.
• Predictable food sources.
• Ploughing.
• Fertilisation.
• Drafting (load items on animals).
• Warfare.
• Conquest.
• Exploration.
• Trade (over long distances between people).
• Transport.
• Religious role.
• Hunting.
• Companionship.

Question 28

Impacts of domestic animals on the environment? (4)

Answer 28

• Overgrazing.
• Deforestation.
• Wild animal & plant extinctions.
• Disruption of local ecosystems.

Question 29

Later Stone Age attributes? (3)

Answer 29

• Less than 30 000 years.
• Mobile hunter-gatherers (San/Bushmen).
• No domestic animals (later dogs).

Question 30

Khoekhoe attributes? (4)

Answer 30

• Less than 2000 years.
• Nomadic pastoralists.
• Sheep & cattle.
• Pottery.

Question 31

San VS KhoeKhoe? (3)

Answer 31

Differ in:

• Language.
• Economy.
• Presence of cattle, sheep & goats.