15.26, Tuesday 25 Apr 2006

The Ancient Fourteen Species of Big Herbivorous Domestic Mammals:

The Major Five:

  • Sheep
  • Goat
  • Cow, alias ox or cattle
  • Pig
  • Horse

The Minor Nine:

  • Arabian (one-humped) camel
  • Bactrian (two-humped) camel
  • Llama and alpaca
  • Donkey
  • Reindeer
  • Water buffalo
  • Yak
  • Bali cattle
  • Mithan

(Taken from Table 9.1 of Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond.)

Other, smaller, domesticated mammals and birds mentioned are: the chicken, various species of duck and goose, turkeys, guinea fowl, Muscovy duck, wolves, rabbit, guinea pig, giant rat, possibly the hutia, ferrets, cats, foxes, mink, chincillas, hamsters. Two domestic insect species are given: the honeybee and silkworm moth.