[ SECRET POST #2564 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2564 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 013 secrets from Secret Submission Post #366.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[tasogare_n_hime]

Does anyone else ever wonder what it would be like if we could domesticate large carnivorous animals. I don't mean take a wild animal and train it, I mean take some lions or something and breed them for certain traits until we end up with whatever the lion version of dogs would be. I don't think anyone should actually try this, but I am curious about it.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm pretty sure you just described cats.

[tasogare_n_hime]

No I mean actual domestication, not they stumbled upon us one day, and decided we were tolerable enough to stick around.

[(Anonymous)]

It would be interesting! Admittedly I tend to think more about "wouldn't it be cool if we could mixed -animal A- with -animal B-?"

[(Anonymous)]

Look up Savannah cats. I want one so bad.

[(Anonymous)]

Same here. But they're so expensive.

[sootyowl]

I'm up for a domesticated hippo or giraffe. I could have a little zoo! It would so much fun learning about "wild" animals in such close proximity (that doesn't evolve going to the zoo).

Unfortunately, smaller bred animals come with lots of health problems and dog breeding shows that specialized breeding can lead to lots of defects and poor overall living. I really think mother nature should be left alone.

[tasogare_n_hime]

Yeah, I have to agree with that. The idea is so interesting though, I just wonder what made our ancestors choose certain animals for domestication? Why were we able to turn wolves into dogs, but not turn the hyena in to a companion animal? Why the horse, and not the moose? Why do we breed all kinds of birds as pets, but not bats? I imagine for one reason or another none of those was possible, but what if they had been? What if out ancestors had done this instead of that?

[sootyowl]

I always pictured cats and dogs were domesticated because of their temperament and their closeness to people. Like, bats aren't tamed because they are cave dwellers, but feral cats/dogs live outside and around human settlements.

Also, some breed of cats are smaller, so easier keep and tame. I think hyenas have more carnivorous and have bad temperaments, so that's why we don't have hyenas as pets. But wolves/other gentler subsets might have been easier to tame with the help of food etc.

Moose aren't found all over the world, where different horse breeds are, no? So I guess it has to do with population as well. What our ancestors could get a hold of. I think some animals are just easier to tame or "break" as it is.

I think Moose/hippos/whatever are more dangerous animals as well and that's why we're not riding around on them.

[(Anonymous)]

While I don't remember the specifics, I'm pretty sure my Animal Behaviour course covered traits that make certain species more or less domesticable. I'm pretty sure cats are actually kind of an odd species out, and really were not ripe for domestication, but stuff happened anyway.

Also, animals need to a) actually have the genetic potential for humans to select for (ie. a more personable demeanor), and b) be possible to regulate the breeding of. I'm not sure it would have been possible to selectively breed moose in the far past, given how hella aggressive the males get in breeding season plus how huge they are.

There's also probably a big dollop of random chance in there, too.

[(Anonymous)]

Late anon is Late

It is actually a combination of factors but the general rules are:

The animals have to be useful. This is the main reason stuff like chinchillas weren't domesticated until the sixties. There is not a lot of meat you can get from them but they made good test subjects.

The animals have to have a lifespan shorter then humans. This is the main reason stuff like elephants are only tamed and not domesticated. People don't live long enough to figure out what animals the should breed.

the animals need to have have a habitat compatible with people. Stuff like giraffes or blue whales is just kind of impossible. This also includes all animals that have strong migration instincts like buffaloes.

And most animals just have behaviour that is incompatible with people. For an animal to be domesticated you need an animals that is used to being in a group and willing to acknowledge others (humans) as it's leader. Most big cats fall in this category because they are pretty solitary. Lions just don't believe people can be leaders. Most dear like animal tend to go in shock easily and don't live in groups.

Generally if something is useful and can be domesticated people will do it.

[(Anonymous)]

It would be interesting. Have you read/watched about the domestication studies they've done with foxes and how breeding for domestication actually changes the physical traits of the animal along with the behavioral traits? It's really fascinating and I've definitely wondered about larger and different animals and how it'd effect them.

[tasogare_n_hime]

8D That study is one the things that really got me curious about stuff like this!

[ninthlife]

It was super interesting how their fur starting turning black and white in some cases, which would make living in the wild even more difficult because the coloration is more noticeable to other animals.

[silvereriena]

Years ago, I had a dream where I had two large lions as bodyguards/BFFs. They were very cuddly and affectionate and I could tell them apart by their mane colours. It is one of the best dreams I ever had.
As for breeding, I have no idea. I assume there would be some dramatic physical changes. Look at how varied dogs have become and how a lot of those breeds look nothing like wolves anymore.

[tasogare_n_hime]

That sounds so cool.

If there was some computer simulation that work out the effects of domestication on other animals, it would be awesome. We could see all the possibilities without actually harming any of them.

[(Anonymous)]

Your dream made me feel super nostalgic. My imaginary friend as a child was a huge white tiger, and I used to dream about him a lot. I hope you dream about your lions again someday. <3

[caerbannog]

Apparently Tassie Tigers were at the beginning stages of potential domestication (hanging around campsites, non aggression) before the settlers came along and, well, stuffed it up.

[(Anonymous)]

Apparently attempts to domesticate big cats were a dismal failure. They're not carnivores, but zebras and African elephants were a bust, too. I was just skimming a book that had some info on this topic--and now I can't remember the title or author, only that it wasn't the primary subject of the book, which was non-fiction. It mentioned that fox study somebody else brought up, though. And I know that cross-breeding domestic cats with smaller wildcats is a thing, and sometimes caracals and cheetahs get trained for hunting the way falcons do, but that's not the same thing as domestication. So apparently nobody's figured out the exact traits that make a species easier to domesticate, or what domestication actually does to a species. But domestication is easier if an animal can live easily in close proximity to humans and has a pack/herd rather than solitary social structure. And it makes animals into something like perpetual juvenile versions of their wild ancestors. (Guard lions would be awesome. So would giraffe tree trimming services.)

More questions on the subject

[tasogare_n_hime]

If it was possible to domesticate any animal, what animals would you choose? What kind of traits do you hope they would have? Extinct animals can be included, because why not.

Raccoons would be one animal I'd pick. I think they would be rather cat like, but being able to train them to be service animals awesome. Some interesting colors and fur patterns would be neat.

Bears would be excellent guard animals, and their sense of smell would make them excellent search, and tracking animals.

Re: More questions on the subject

[(Anonymous)]

It would be interesting how a large cat like a mountain lion would change with domestication. Would they just be a giant 'cat'? Would they have fur changes like the foxes did?

I think a squirrel would be pretty cool domesticated. But I remember reading a report once where they did a study and came to the conclusion that it was just not possible to ever domesticate a squirrel. This was some years ago so maybe it's been proven wrong, but I was very sad after reading that. Haha.

Re: More questions on the subject

[caerbannog]

MMMmmmmmmmmmm, thinking. Various Aussie animals like a pademelon or something.

Crocodile! oh oh, Cassowary!

Re: More questions on the subject

[sporkly]

I'd love something aquatic because It'd be really neat to ride one, I guess.

Re: More questions on the subject

[(Anonymous)]

Some species of shark. Maybe a whale shark.

Just because I like sharks.

Re: More questions on the subject

[blunderbuss]

Australian possums! They're smart, cute, can manipulate objects pretty easily, and don't need an exotic diet.