A lot of what we know about humanity’s evolution and the development of civilization can actually be attributed to the domestication of animals. It is a feature of history that has shaped entire economies and even our very way of life. But not all animals were willing (or even able) to join us on that journey.
From the wild, untamed beasts of the ancient world, only a select few were sculpted into useful companions, livestock, or laborers. While this may seem like luck or randomness, it was actually the result of a deliberate process where early humans looked for specific traits in animals.
Click through this gallery to find out the essential qualities that make an animal domesticable, why so few creatures have met the criteria, and how humanity turned wild beasts into reliable partners.