Which animal was domesticated first – the cat or the dog?

Which animal was domesticated first – the cat or the dog?

Domesticated animals are those that have been tamed and bred by humans. Humans began keeping animals as companion pets (such as cats and dogs), work animals (such as horses, donkeys, and camels to carry things), and livestock (such as cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats for food and skin, fur, or wool). 

It is not easy to tell exactly when different species of animals were domesticated. Domestication occurred gradually, so there is no exact moment in history.

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What is the difference between the Chacoan Peccary and the Southern White-Lipped Peccary?

What is the difference between the Chacoan Peccary (Catagonus wagneri) and the Southern White-Lipped Peccary (Tayassu pecari albirostris)?

The Chacoan Peccary and the Southern White-Lipped Peccary are both pig-like ungulate (hoofed) mammals with short legs, and small, narrow feet. 

The Chacoan Peccary and the Southern White-Lipped Peccary have a tough, leathery, pig-like snout (nose).  

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Southern White-Lipped Peccary

The Southern White-Lipped Peccary (Tayassu pecari albirostris) is an ungulate (hoofed) mammal.

The Southern White-Lipped Peccary has a rounded body with a large head, long snout (nose) and short legs – similar to a wild pig. Its nose looks like a pig’s nose. It has black or brown bristly fur. It has longer hairs along its spine, which make a crest of hair that stands up when it is startled. It has white markings below its nose, cheeks, and under its eyes.

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Buru Babirusa

The Buru Babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) is a wild pig in the swine family. It is also known as the Hairy Babirusa, the Golden Babirusa, the Deer-Pig, and the Moluccan Babirusa. 

The Buru Babirusa looks like a pig with golden-brown hair. The male has prominent upward, in-curving canine tusks. The tusks curve over its face and towards its forehead. Both the male and female have lower canines, which grow upwards, but the female has smaller canine teeth than the male.

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Red River Hog

The Red River Hog (Potamochoerus porcus) is a wild mammal in the pig family.

The Red River Hog has striking orange to reddish-brown fur, with black legs and a tufted white stripe along its spine. It has white markings around its eyes and on its cheeks and jaws. The rest of its muzzle and face are black. Its entire body is covered in hair, with no bare skin visible. It has a thin tail with a tuft of black hair at the tip. It has long, thin ears with hair tufts. 

The male has prominent whiskers and small, sharp tusks. Both the male and female have scent glands near their eyes and on their feet. 

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What’s the difference between the Warthog and the Wild Boar?

What is the difference between the Central African Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus massaicus) and the Central European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa scrofa)?

The Central African Warthog and the Central European Wild Boar are both medium-sized heavy-set ungulate (hoofed) mammals, but the Warthog is pig-like and the Boar is a pig.

The Central African Warthog has two pairs of upward-curving ivory tusks protruding from its mouth. One pair of tusks is the upper pair, and the second pair of tusks is the lower pair, which is shorter than the upper pair. The male Central European Wild Boar has ivory canine teeth which protrude from its mouth, and the female has smaller canine teeth.

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Central European Wild Boar

The Central European Wild Boar (Sus scrofa scrofa) is a medium-sized ungulate (hoofed) mammal, and a subspecies of the Wild Boar (Sus scrofa). It is also known as the Eurasian Wild Pig. Regionally, it is known as the Western Wild Boar. It is a suid.

The Central European Wild Boar is dark grey-black or rusty-brown in colour. Its fur is thick and coarse and it also has thick underwool. The male has a thin mane along his back, and the female does not have a mane. It has a high skull and a big head. It has a short, thick neck, and a hump behind its shoulders. Its eyes are small and dark. The male has canine teeth which protrude from its mouth, and the female has smaller canine teeth.

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Bornean Bearded Pig

The Bornean Bearded Pig (Sus barbatus) is a medium-sized ungulate (hoofed) mammal. It is endangered, with the species protected in some zoos around the world. The photographed pig is from the London Zoo.

The Bornean Bearded Pig has a dark-grey barrel-shaped body with a tassel, or tuft, on its tail. Its face has a prominent whitish beard of coarse hair. It has short legs and drooping ears and a blunt snout (nose).

It measures about 60 centimetres (24 inches) in length.

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Kunekune Pig

The Kunekune Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus or Sus domesticus) is a small, rare breed of domestic pig. It is a mammal.

The Kunekune Pig is hairy and barrel-shaped. Kunekune is from the Maori language, meaning fat and round. It often has two wattles (loose skin) hanging from its chin. It has a medium to short black snout (nose). It can be a range of colours, such as black, brown, black and white, ginger, cream, gold-tipped, tri-coloured, and spotted. Its hair can be long or short, and straight or curly. Its legs are short.

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Domestic Pig

The Domestic Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus or Sus domesticus) is an even-toed ungulate mammal. It is an artiodactyl.

The Pig has a stout body with sparse bristles (hair) on its skin. It has hardly any hair, and it is considered to be hairless (like the elephant and rhinoceros). It has a long, pointed head with a snout. It has 44 teeth (humans have 32 teeth). It is an ungulate – hoofed feet – with two toes on each foot.

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