4 ms·

> To get a bit pedantic you're on the path to domesticating those squirrels... To be even more pedantic: No, they're not. > Domestication should not be confus

> To get a bit pedantic you're on the path to domesticating those squirrels... To be even more pedantic: No, they're not. > Domestication should not be confused with taming. Taming is the conditioned behavioral modification of an animal to reduce its natural avoidance of humans, and to accept the presence of humans. Domestication is the permanent genetic modification of a bred lineage that leads to an inherited predisposition towards humans.

TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
It shouldn't be difficult to imagine how taming could lead to domestication. That said, I personally don't believe there to be anything wrong with having a fully domesticated line of squirrels and other animals. My personal favourite would be a domesticated line of Tasmanian Devils. I'll even go as far as to say that if habitat loss continues unabated then domestication of more and more species may become necessary.
- fian 8y ago
  Domesticated echidnas would be great. They could help keep ant populations in check. I had a 3 month battle trying to keep meat (protein eating) ants out of my house last year. I eventually caved and had a professional pest controller spray a barrier around the perimeter of my house. 6 months later and the first signs of ant repopulation are starting to appear. I dislike having to use strong poisons as they are indiscriminate and we need to have healthy insect populations as part of the ecology (plant pollination, breakdown of dead organic matter etc). One or two echidnas might have been able to deal with my ant problem in a few days. Maybe an echidna hire service (Uber for echnidnas?) could work. Plus they are just plain cool animals to see walking around.
  - njarboe 8y ago
    The variety of life on Earth is so cool. Echidnas and the platypus are the only egg-laying mammals, known as monotremes. The average lifespan of an echidna in the wild is estimated around 14–16 years. When fully grown, a female can weigh up to 4.5 kilograms (9.9 lb) and a male can weigh up to 6 kilograms (13 lb).[8] The echidnas' sex can be inferred from their size, as males are 25% larger than females on average. The reproductive organs also differ, but both sexes have a single opening called a cloaca, which they use to urinate, release their faeces and to mate.[1] [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echidna https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echidna

TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago

It shouldn't be difficult to imagine how taming could lead to domestication. That said, I personally don't believe there to be anything wrong with having a fully domesticated line of squirrels and other animals. My personal favourite would be a domesticated line of Tasmanian Devils. I'll even go as far as to say that if habitat loss continues unabated then domestication of more and more species may become necessary.

fian 8y ago
Domesticated echidnas would be great. They could help keep ant populations in check. I had a 3 month battle trying to keep meat (protein eating) ants out of my house last year. I eventually caved and had a professional pest controller spray a barrier around the perimeter of my house. 6 months later and the first signs of ant repopulation are starting to appear. I dislike having to use strong poisons as they are indiscriminate and we need to have healthy insect populations as part of the ecology (plant pollination, breakdown of dead organic matter etc). One or two echidnas might have been able to deal with my ant problem in a few days. Maybe an echidna hire service (Uber for echnidnas?) could work. Plus they are just plain cool animals to see walking around.
- njarboe 8y ago
  The variety of life on Earth is so cool. Echidnas and the platypus are the only egg-laying mammals, known as monotremes. The average lifespan of an echidna in the wild is estimated around 14–16 years. When fully grown, a female can weigh up to 4.5 kilograms (9.9 lb) and a male can weigh up to 6 kilograms (13 lb).[8] The echidnas' sex can be inferred from their size, as males are 25% larger than females on average. The reproductive organs also differ, but both sexes have a single opening called a cloaca, which they use to urinate, release their faeces and to mate.[1] [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echidna https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echidna