Alternative Domesticated Species

[Dylan Hooton]

I'm just really curious on what animal species could have been domesticated, but weren't. Some of these can include the extinct (moa, thylacine, diprotodons, etc) and living animals (elephants, tapirs, etc). I don't know how many species of animals could be domesticatable or could have been domesticatable.

I believe that these animals could have been domesticated:

California Tapir (Tapirus californicus), this extinct species of Ice Age tapir would have been a good candidate for domestication, just imagine seeing these animals everywhere as farm animals and pets, if they make good pets.

Cave Hyena (Crocuta crocuta spelaea) also would have make a possible good candidate for domestication, if they were bred to be smaller, more tame, more playful, etc.

Harlan's ground sloth (Paramylodon harlani) was another possible candidate for domestication. It was also one of the only grazing ground sloths (or even mixed feeder), feeding mainly on grass unlike most other sloths, as said here: https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Diet...ani+(xenarthra:+mylodontidae):...-a0139836963 . So humans could have domesticated this animal for meat, fur, and bony armor under its fur, so imagine wearing ground sloth armor!

Those are the animals I could think of that could have been domesticated. So try to think of other animals that could be or could have been domesticated, enjoy!

Note: Be nice, no bullying, and no swearing, this topic is meant to be family-friendly.

 

[JustAnotherFailedState]

From what I understand the greatest criterion for early domestic animals would be that they A: Lived within herds/ packs B: If raised by humans would identify them as their alpha, or bull or matriarch, etc , C: could live well in somewhat confined spaces like a paddock or a cave and D; could breed quickly under captivity. Given most of your candidates were solitary, I am not sure these make the best suggestions but I especially doubt that groundslothswould be especially suitable for domestication, didnt they reproduce infrequently and tended to be solitary?

Now hyeanas seem like a maybe to me. Elephants have existed in a semi domesticated state for thoasands of years, so I dont see there being a huge problem with domesticating dwarf elephants or mammoths or even regular old mammoths if agriculture for instance was developed before paleoindians reached north america, or eurasian mammoths lasted a bit longer.

I could have sworn that a moa farming timeline once existed on this website but I have not been able to rediscover it.

Myotragus seems like it was possibly almost domesticated so it might be a decent candidate as well. https://www.revolvy.com/topic/Myotragus https://www.world-archaeology.com/features/myotragus-balearicus-extinction-of-mouse-goats/ Had the local setters not already brought ruminats with them that is.

 

[Foadar]

Imagine domesticated mammoths. Use those as warmounts capable of crossing the Alps

 

[Dylan Hooton]

From what I understand the greatest criterion for early domestic animals would be that they A: Lived within herds/ packs B: If raised by humans would identify them as their alpha, or bull or matriarch, etc , C: could live well in somewhat confined spaces like a paddock or a cave and D; could breed quickly under captivity. Given most of your candidates were solitary, I am not sure these make the best suggestions

Oh really? There's a tribe in Ecuador who keep tapirs as pets https://peopleofonefire.com/primitive-tribe-in-ecuadors-rain-forest-keeps-tapirs-as-pets.html. Also, how about the domestication of thylacines? They were probably very friendly if people had not hunted them to extinction.

 

[JustAnotherFailedState]

Well color me suprised then[I will admit that I may have been misinfomed on tapir behvior] still, if domesgtic tapirs already exist then theyrehardly liable to be called ''alternate domesticates'' any more than the bactrian camel is.

I never disputed that thylacines might have been suitable for somestication, that said the ancient australians already have dogs essentially ruled it from being domesticated by them at least.

 

[chr92]

Maybe https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/cool-potential-domestications.241781/ has something?

 

[JustAnotherFailedState]

As that linked thread pointed out by the second page eland, cheetahs and foxes should definitley be considered candidates for this sort of list.

However, this video is still relevant: