Did humans create cows?

[Dexter Rutecki]

I assume we did, right? I mean, there's no such things as a wild cow (I assume everything else would just eat them). I know we sort of created dogs by breeding the wolf out of wolves, so is it the same thing with cows? Did we start with really tame buffalo or bulls or something? It's a pretty weird thing when you think about it--you know, one species basically creating another species. Cows. Weird.

[iceman]

This created the cow:



...then we had to figure how to get that.

[Dexter Rutecki]

I think that's what ended the (that particular) cow. Looks pretty good.

[iceman]

It was the idea of that which led some Assyrian to lasso some Aurochs and here we are today.

[Dexter Rutecki]

Is that true? Assyrians made cows? WTF??

[I've seen black diamonds!]

Humans domesticated cattle a good 5000 years before anyone called themselves Assyrians. Heck, not even the Akkadians or Sumerians were around yet.

On a related not the Sumerians used donkeys to pull chariots into battle.

[iceman]

...and there's still a lot of jackasses in that region today.

[BigDaddy]

This created the cow:



...then we had to figure how to get that.

Finally... proof of intelligent design

[frorider]

This concludes your bovine history segment for today.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Assloads of fun

[leroy jenkins]

Humans didn't create dogs by selectively breeding wolves. The genetic divergence happened when some wolves chose to hang out around human settlements, and other wolves chose to just run around doing wolf stuff. The ones who chose to scavenge around humans became increasingly tame over successive generations while the ones that avoided humans remained wolf like. The symbiosis of the humans and wolves having common food sources and a common need to protect against other scarier creatures, eventually formed the sacred bond between man and dog. It really was a pivotal leap in our evolution and we owe a lot to that chance symbiosis between man and increasingly less wild wolves...



Errr I dunno. Really we're talking about long enough ago that no one really knows much for sure. But I saw a documentary and read some books and it makes some sense.

[gravitylover]

No way man. You don't say things that make sense

[Bromontana]

I can get a good look at a T-bone by sticking my head up a bull's ass, but I'd rather take a butcher's word for it.

[WMD]

A female is a cow and a male is a bull, so the animal is not a cow. Then what is it?

[GeezerSteve]

Cattle aka Bos taurus

Errr I dunno.

No shit. The wolves that hung around humans were, well, wolves aka Canus lupus. Dogs and wolves are still the same species, Canus lupus. By contrast, cattle are a species distinct from any wild species. The current theory is that all cattle are descendants of a small group of wild ox that were domesticated by humans 10,000+ years ago.

[hutash]

Douglas Adams had it right..."Would you like to meet the meat?"

[BmillsSkier]

Dogs and wolves are still the same species, Canus lupus. By contrast, cattle are a species distinct from any wild species. The current theory is that all cattle are descendants of a small group of wild ox that were domesticated by humans 10,000+ years ago.

That's some heady shit. Thank you Tom Cruise ancestors for giving us the meats.

[Dexter Rutecki]

Humans didn't create dogs by selectively breeding wolves. The genetic divergence happened when some wolves chose to hang out around human settlements, and other wolves chose to just run around doing wolf stuff. The ones who chose to scavenge around humans became increasingly tame over successive generations while the ones that avoided humans remained wolf like. The symbiosis of the humans and wolves having common food sources and a common need to protect against other scarier creatures, eventually formed the sacred bond between man and dog. It really was a pivotal leap in our evolution and we owe a lot to that chance symbiosis between man and increasingly less wild wolves...



Errr I dunno. Really we're talking about long enough ago that no one really knows much for sure. But I saw a documentary and read some books and it makes some sense.

Right, so it could've gone the other way to at least some degree as well, right? I mean maybe some nice wolves started hanging around and then humans jumped in and began domesticating/breeding them, with natural selection aided by human choice breeding out the wolf-y genes.

But as usual you guys know some weird shit.

[Conundrum]

There are actually wild cattle. Bring an invasive species into an area with no predators and bingo, you can hunt cows in Hawaii.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_wild_cattle

[TBS]

Wonder how they selected who would milk the first wild ox/cow?
"See that big critter over there? Go over and squeeze those long things back by her butt."

[hutash]

To the OP, yes humans did create cows by selective breeding and domestication. Likely from a wild auroch like bovid. as they have done with sheep, goats
, pigeons, pigs and a host of other species.

While the current hypothesis on dog domestication is as Leroy discribes, it is mostly speculation, and probably only partly true. Humans managed to domesticate dozens of species with the "hanging around humans" effect. It is just as likely dogs were domesticated as a food source, but found to have other useful purposes.

[Dexter Rutecki]

Food source? That adds different color to Leroy's mention of the 'sacred bond' between man and dog.

[GeezerSteve]

breeding out the wolf-y genes.

No, not quite. See above. Wolves and dogs are the same species.

There are actually wild cattle. Bring an invasive species into an area with no predators and bingo, you can hunt cows in Hawaii.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_wild_cattle

Those are feral cattle aka Bos taurus, the same species as domestic cattle, i.e., it's a feral population of a domestic species, but not a wild species.

[Dexter Rutecki]

Right, but genetically they must be different. I just meant the more wolf-ish characteristics have been selected against in dogs--not that they're a different species.

[iceman]

The reality is that some smart wolves decided that hunting big animals and getting trampled and gored and whatnot basically sucked, so they looked around for an alternative food source and decided on us. Then they set about domesticating us, gradually improving us to the point where we will feed them daily, give them shelter, take them to the doctor when necessary and even knit them little sweaters for when its chilly, all without having to do shit except sometimes run around in fields chasing sheep (which they wanted to do anyways) or barking at people or other animals that threaten their food source, i.e. us. It's been a long process but those early dog scientists have succeeded beyond their wildest imagination.