Attributes of Domesticated Animals

The study of domesticated animals since Darwin’s influential work (1868) has culminated in the formation of a set of changes that are claimed to distinguish domestic populations from wild species (for recent outlines of these see Price 1984, 1999; Hemmer 1990; Tchernov and Horwitz 1991; Hall 1993; Teichert 1993; Smith 1995; Zohary, Tchernov, and Horwitz 1998; Clutton-Brock 1999; Trut 1999). Although not uniformly present in all domesticated species, those affecting the skeleton may include the following: (1) change in body size, initially to smaller, with decreasing skeletal robusticity; (2) reduction in cranial capacity; (3) shortening of the facial region of skull, including jaws, sometimes associated with tooth crowding and maleruption and/or reduction in size of cheek teeth; (4) reduction in sexual dimorphism; and (5) greater diversity in shape and size of horns (in cattle, sheep, and goats). Domestication changes affecting only soft tissues, body biochemistry, and/or behaviour and therefore archaeologically invisible in any direct formmay include the following: (6) increasing variation in coat colour and hair structure; (7) increasing fat storage (subcutaneous and intramuscular); (8) enhanced physiological performance, including lactation; (9) precocity, extended breeding seasons, and greater sexual stimulation; (10) retention of juvenile behaviours into adulthood; (11) greater litter size and frequency of multiple births; (12) reduction in motor activity; (13) reduction in information acquisition systems; (14) reduction in intraspecific aggression, especially in males (though this may be attenuated defensive behaviour); and (15) increased docility as part of reduced environmental responsiveness.