Though dogs are so close genetically to wolves that many taxonomists consider them to be a subspecies, most people wouldn’t let a wolf lick their hand as readily as a Shih Tzu. When animals are ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. A domesticated animal is one that has been bred and adapted ...

Many domestic animals can prosper in the wild despite having adapted to thousands of years in captivity. This phenomenon offers an interesting window into the process of adaptation to natural ...

In the 19th century, Charles Darwin was one of the first to notice something interesting about domesticated animals: different species often developed similar changes when compared to their ancient ...

Humans have altered dogs through artificial selection, by breeding them. Dog domestication changed humans also, making us more effective hunters and herders. Domestication reduced the brain size of ...

After centuries of sustained effort, zebras remain evidence that domestication depends less on human ambition than on evolutionary compatibility. Human history is often framed as a steady expansion of ...

Jada is a 1-year-old domestic shorthair with tortoise-shell coloring. She has been at the Humane Society of Richland County ...