Publisher's Synopsis
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 behavioral trait with which we are most familiar - how various species of animals have, over the last few millenia, become useful members of human societies. Each chapter examines a particular type of domestication, and includes accounts of of exemplary species that examines their biology, their domestication history, the results of domestication on their shape, size, color and physiology, and their comparative behavior - before and after domestication. Domestication is highly illustrated with both color and black and white illustrations.
Domestication examines a wide variety of domesticated animals:
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 - monkeys bred for the pet trade, llamas hybridised with alpacas for greater pet appeal and woolier 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 some form of domestication.
Feral Animals - the fate of domesticated animals that become re-established in the wild, such as feral pigs, feral cats, and wild horses.
