Sometimes, when we go for drives through the countryside or take a stroll past a park, it can be really hard to believe that all of those domestic animals we live with, including cows, sheep and dogs, all came from wild ancestors. Humans have been domesticating species of plants and animals for a very long time!
A domesticated species is one whose evolution has been shaped by people to benefit humankind. This is a little bit different from an animal that is merely tame! Tamed animals are used to people, but are still more or less identical to their fully wild counterparts. A domesticated animal is genetically different from its wild relatives, and has been made genetically different because of careful selective breeding by people. Humans have been bringing different species of plants and animals under their care for thousands of years—sometimes as food sources, for companionship, or to help us with different kinds of work. Dogs were one of the first animals to be domesticated, possibly as many as 33,000 years ago! Sheep, pigs, goats and cows were also domesticated fairly early on, and continue to play a major role in human existence to this day.
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