Domestication Part 1
The Earth gives us several examples of different animals in a symbiotic relationship. From clown fish and anemone to ants and aphids, each pair has something to offer the other. They form a balance necessary to promote the next generation of both species. Each gets something from the other. But what happens when one partner takes control and begins dictating traits for the other partner?
Domestication of wild animals likely began as a symbiotic relationship between humans and other animals. The change from hunter/gather to a more static lifestyle offered the opportunity for the first wild wolves to get close enough to lose their fear of man. Seeing the wolves as another form of defense, humans likely made the intellectual jump from wolves as food to wolves as protection. As the relationship between the two grew, the first domesticated animal began to arise.
Domestication should not be confused with taming. Taming an animal could be part of the domestication process, but domestication takes several generations for most species.
Domestication of any animal relies on several factors.
First of all diet. If an animal solely relies on the food that humans (or other biologically advanced organisms) eat, it is less likely to be domesticated. Cows for example eat grass; humans do not, therefore there is no direct competition for food. Wolves probably dined on scraps, entrails, rotten food and other things humans had no use of.
Secondly, the ability to breed in captivity and quick growth rate. Some animals have a highly structured mating cycle and interference by captors prevents impregnation. Most birds of prey have a very complex mating performance, that is why any successful matings of eagles and large birds of prey is seen as a huge success. If an animal has a growth rate similar to humans more than likely it will not be domesticated. Elephants, for example, can be tamed, however with their long life cycles (close to humans) any breeding programs would take several Human generations to see results.
Next would be a compatible temperament with humans. Animals such as rhinos are not good domestication material because of their territorial nature. White-tailed deer also are not good candidates because of their highly evolved flight response to danger. Animals which require a tremendous amount of energy to keep calm are not likely to be tamed or domesticated.
Lastly and maybe most importantly, the animals in question must have some sort of social structure. Dogs and wolves: packs; horses and cows: herds; sheep and goats: flocks. Understanding the social structure allows humans to put themselves on top.
Through the years, humans have desired particular traits in the animals they domesticate. Cross breeding and at times interbreeding brings out recessive genes that would not show up in the wild. For instance there are over 800 different breeds of cattle in the modern Earth. Most of these animals do not look like their wild ancestors the auroch, the zebu and the Bos, yet they still resemble the common ancestor. Different breeds are selected for milk production, transportation needs and meat.
A great example of recent domestication is the silver fox experiment. Breeding red foxes with desirable behavioral traits such as: non aggression, whimpering to attract attention, wagging tails and barking, over 40 fox generations has produced a breed that acts more like a dog than a wild fox. Experiments that began in 1958 have shown that selective breeding can produce not only behavior changes but physical and biological changes as well.
World building offers unique opportunities for writers of all types to explore different species and how they would evolve on their world. What some writers don’t explore enough is the involvement of domestication in these unique worlds. Sure we see things like Tribbles from Star Treck or a Bantha from Star Wars but where and how did these animals come about? What sparked the benefit of having this creature around in the first place? And how much has the evolved species changed from the original?
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Nice summary.
Once i learned about the social structure part of domestication, the animals we’ve domesticated suddenly made sense. Though at least by some definitions of “domestication” you don’t necessarily need that part- though it is extremely important in some cases. The goldfish can be considered a domesticated carp. No social structure to speak of, but it is easy enough to control that we don’t actually need it’s cooperation to do what we want with it.
Domestication is generally overlooked in sci-fi. I think that is because it is generally overlooked and taken for granted here on earth.
Poul Anderson’s Ythri had a variety of briefly mentioned domesticated animals, but off the top of my head i can’t think of another example of alien domesticates that weren’t simply variations on our earth’s familiar domesticated cast.
I remember watching a show on PBS about the silver fox experiment and found it interesting. I also liked all your other examples, it gave me something to think about. Thanks!
Jared Diamond covers this ground in some detail on Guns, Germs and Steel because the nature of locally domesticated animals (and plants) contributed to the outcomes of cultural encounters.
Also, cats differ from the rest in not having pyramidal or pack societies. They make “hub” societies but still remain largely solitary. Hence the common statement that “they domesticated us.”
I’ve noticed that domesticated species in sci-fi are mostly alien equivalents of cattle or horses or dogs. Unless they’re semi-sapient empathic aliens like Sphixian Treecats in David Weber’s Honor Harrington series or Calibans in C.J. Cherryh’s Forty Thousand In Gehenna, in which case they’ve kind of domesticated us.
Greetings – Just discovered your blog. Very nice to find another writer whose interested in the more intellectual side of science fiction. I immediately linked you to my own site list.
Never thought about the treatment of domestication in sci-fi worlds so it was a very interesting read. Frank Herbert might have actually done a good job with it but I don’t think he attempted it. Like you said, most “pets” in sci-fi are there only as decoration without much explanation. Examples of breeding experiments abound which result in monsters or even superior species, but not the kind of spontaneous selection that occurs with domestic animals.
RV