If they can breed tame foxes just by selecting the fraction of each generation that is relatively tolerant of humans, you’d think the same principle could be applied to zebras. You’d have to be willing to keep them for generations without much payback in the short term however.
I thought you were skeptical of the claim that they were less domesticatable in general- not about specific reasons that they were so. Whatever the reason was, it seems pretty clear that zebras are/were significantly tougher to domesticate than horses.
Something similar is thought to have happened with reindeer; human hunters eventually formed a sort of symbiosis with the reindeer herds.
freedom!!!
I absolutely love Guns, Germs, and Steel and I think about 98% of it is dead on. But I never bought the zebra argument which seems to be 'they weren’t domesticated therefore they couldn’t have been domesticated."
I’m skeptical of both. But you quoted the post I made specifically to the link to GG&S.
I’m not doubting that. I just think the idea that they cannot be domesticated isn’t very convincing.
(golf clap)
That was a long walk.
Is anyone saying that? I think it would be pretty reasonable to assume that if it was economical to domesticate the zebra (or any other large African mammal), then Africans would have done so; and that they didn’t is a solid indication that, at least in ancient history before other domesticated animals were introduced from Europe and Asia, it was not worth the effort for them to do so.
Odd, considering how many people have journeyed far away from home for the sole purpose of enjoying wild Asian ass.
Post 2 and 4 don’t explicitly say that, but that’s certainly how they can be read.
You seem to saying, or strongly implying, that domestication was a conscious effort. I doubt that any of the domestication done by Neolithic or late Paleolithic peoples was done so on purpose.
Right. Looking back at the past few posts, I think we’re agreed and I just didn’t quite understand what you were saying.
It wasn’t conscious, as in “let’s go make those animals do our bidding”, but a series of little decisions like “let’s live near the goats- easier to hunt that way”… “let’s take care of those baby goats whose mother we killed”… “wow, that milk is actually tasty! Good one, Mog.”… “My goat died! I’m gonna go capture another one.”… “this goat kicked me- I’m going to kill it… the nice goat gets to stay alive and have babies…” etc. If those little decisions had made sense, economically speaking, I’m sure that ancient Africans would have made those little decisions.
The ancient Egyptians seem to have made a definite and deliberate effort to domesticate local species, including the cheetah which they used as a hunting companion (which taming, by the way, did not succeed). They weren’t that far past the neolithic. While the first species domesticated may have been done accidentally I wouldn’t rule out deliberate attempts for some of the most recent species domesticated. Once a group of humans had dogs, maybe some sheep, and some domesticated grains and vegetables the concept would have been pretty solid.
You can tame the black ones with white stripes, but heaven help you if you try to tame the white ones with black stripes.
I like to move it - move it!
Are you at least housebroken?
(sigh)
It’s a Braveheart refrence! :rolleyes:
**
YOU CAN’T TAME THE Z!**
I know about Braveheart. But I prefer Chris Rock and company. 