We often refer to different animals as having our special little personalities. Some of us think of farm animals as having personalities, too. Farm animals and wild animals are similar in that many domestic animals share names with common domestic animals. Some names of wild animals, on the other hand, are specific to particular animals.
Cattle and sheep are both names of domestic animals with a very common ancestor. Cattle are herd animals that give birth to young, rather than producing milk. Cows can range from herbivores to vegetarians; while the typical American bulldog is an herbivore. While sheep are more likely to be found on farms, they can also be found roaming in deserts, grasslands and open fields.
Names of wild animals provide clues to the lifestyle of their forefathers, and to the types of life they lived in ancient times. Domesticated animals share names with those of other domesticated animals. For example, cattle share names with cows and ox. Sheep share names with sheep and goats. While this doesn’t mean that the animals in question have pre-domestic origins, it does show how different names are given to different animals.
Not all animals are herbivores. Insectivores, such as bees and butterflies, belong to the class of animals that eat other animals’ flesh. Meat-eating animals are classified as omnivores. A bovine’s tastes could be quite distinct from the tastes of a human, or vice versa. To identify whether a plant or animal is meaty, chew on a variety of similar-tasting foods.
Most animals have taste buds, located at the back of their mouths. When these taste buds are stimulated, they send out a “smell” which we detect as tastes, odors or tastes in our mouth. Some animals have more than one set of taste buds, each set designed to detect a particular food. If two animals can eat the same food, they can have differing tastes.
Animals have been domesticated for a very long time. Some, such as dogs, have been around since early man began his domesticating efforts. The domestication of animals has shaped many of our dietary needs and helped to shape the way we live. It is interesting to study the way animals have been domesticated and, in doing so, to see through the eyes of domestication, and to understand the changes that domestication has brought to their bodies and our lives.