Domestic animals are the animals that are given proper care and treatment or domesticated by humans. They are usually kept as a pet and they are even helping people in many ways.

Some animals like cats and dogs are kept on the top because they can easily understand the feelings of humans and can be trained easily by humans. Camels and horses can help people by carrying goods from one place to the other.

Here is a list of domestic animals who are helping people in one or another way.

1. Dog

The dog is one of the examples of domestic animals. The dog is ranked as the best-domesticated pet. According to the American kennel club report around 33 million dogs have been registered as pets. Humans are preferring dogs for a longer time. They are the breed which is originated from wolves.

10-13 years is the average lifespan of the dogs. A dog is preferred most of the time because of its physical and mental qualities like helping nature, guarding tendency, hunting, and many more qualities. They are also known by the name “men’s best friend” that’s why it is given the first rank.

They can be trained in the way the owner wants to train and is the intelligent animal in the world. It is the most loyal pet amongst the other domestic animals.

The world is having almost 150 breeds of dogs and then they are divided into 8 classes like a sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting, herding, miscellaneous.

According to the records and surveys, the popular name is max which is followed by Charlie, copper, buddy, jack, and many more.

2. Cats

Cat is a cute, small, and agile carnivorous mammal. cat is an animal that loves to be a pet and even cuddled. Cats are loyal and they only require a little attention, in return, it gives a lot of love.

Cats are always keeping their surroundings and house neat and clean. Cats are having poor vision of their eyesight but they are having a good sense of smell. Cats have been kept as a pet for 4000 years and they are known for their hunting abilities, companionship and even for their loving nature.

the domesticated cats are usually small so they are known as “little cats” and they are having a lot of differences from the large cats. They are becoming famous as a pet in UK and US. Usually, cats are having 32 teeth and dogs are having 42 but they both are having very sharp teeth.

This is helping the cats for listening to the voice of mice or animals which are smaller than cats. In the open region, the cat tries to hide in the place which is in height so that they can hunt properly.

Cats are having a very good sense of flexibility and balance so they can properly jump from one place to the other. Some cat lovers say that cats should be considered as the best pet instead of the dog. They are not requiring so much care as the dog needs and even do not require so much space.

They are also not making so much noise as the dog makes. Cats are making vocal voices like mewing, purring, and trilling. The case study of cats says that cats are the second most popular pet in the US.

3. Domestic pig

The domestic pig is one of the animals from the list of domestic animals. It is considered the intelligent and friendly animal in the world. They are the most trainable animal than dogs and cats.

The other species of domestic animal named Asian-pot-bellied pigs are becoming so popular in the united states in the 20th century. Pigs in the farmyards are kept indoors but because of their large size and destructive nature, they are left free to roam in the fields. Pig meat is used for making a variety of products like bacon, ham, and many other products.

The newborn babies of the pig can easily recognize their mother’s voice and even learn their name within the two weeks of their birth. Their voice is loud almost 115 decibels which is 3 decibels higher than the supersonic airliner.

The adult pig can run at a speed of 11mph or a 7-minute mile. The meat of the head of the pig can be used for making the head cheese as similar to the head cheese of the sheep. Pigs are living in groups. Pigs submerge in the mud in the summer season or the hot weather to make them feel warm.

They are eating for many hours and sleep continuously for hours. They also like to make the nest. The domestic pig is having many names like swine, hog, or pig when there is not any requirement of making differences in pigs whether it is omnivorous, or domesticated.

The length of the body big from head to body is 0.9 to 1.8m and the weight of the adult pig is around 50 and 350kg. the size and weight may differ according to the breed. A group of pigs is called a passel.

4. Cattle

They are often domesticated for meat and milk. They are having horns and cloven hoofs. The process of describing the sex of the calf is first the bull calf and then grown for 2-3 years which is called an ox.

The female calf is firstly a heifer calf and then it grows into a cow. The mature bulls have a weight of around 450-1800kg and the cows which are mature is weighting 360-1100kg.

Apart from using cattle for milk and meat, they are also used for carrying goods from one place to the other. In 2013, it was found that the number of cattle present in the world is 1.3 billion.

It can be used for fuel purposes also. Males or bulls are domesticated for beef production and for carrying bullocks from one place to the other.

They are used for the ethics of the modern industrial factory and commercial meat production which can lead to global warming. They are having higher and lower frequencies better than humans and the weight of the dairy cows is around 1200 pounds.

The eating habit of the cow is very much different from humans as they curl the grass first and then chew it afterward when they require them. In India, people sacred the cows as they believe that all gods are living inside the cows.

There are varieties of breed of cattle found in Europe like Charolais and nor made of France and British breeds are found according to the interests because of the supply of dairy products in the whole world.

5. Goat

A goat is just like a member of the family of Bovidae and it looks like a sheep. The domestic goat is one of the sub-species of goat which is domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe.

According to the reports and surveys done by the UN food and agriculture organization, there are around 924 million goats found in the world. Female is known by the name “does” and male goat is known by the name “bucks” or “Billie’s”.

The goat is one of the earliest domesticated animals on the earth. Goat is a very innocent animal and they are having a very little brain. They can eat grass for a longer time in the fields.

Goats are very closely related to the sheep and they can communicate with each other by bleating. The animals which are intelligent likes to explore and likes to find or investigate when an unfamiliar thing happens.

Goats are having good coordination and balance. They are also able to stay in precarious areas like steep mountains as they can climb trees and even jump at the height of 5 feet.

Goats are usually curious and agile. They love to live in a herd of goats as they are herd animals. There are about 300 species of goat. According to archeological evidence, goats have domesticated firstly in Iran around 10000 years ago.

Goats are mostly domesticated for their fur, milk, meat, and skins. Milk of goat is also used for making goat cheese. Goats are having two horns of different shapes and sizes according to different breeds. Goats are usually ruminants as they are having four chambers of the stomach which are rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum.

6. Camel

Camel is a very useful animal in the deserts. It is one of the gifts given by nature as it can move easily on the rough surface of deserts. They are having a quality that they can stay for longer hours without water. They can travel long distances without water. Camels are categorized into three categories which are:

  1. Dromedary: the world is having 94% population of the dromedary.
  2. Bactrians: they are only 6% found on the earth.
  3. Wild Bactrians: they are now endangered.

Camels can run even faster than a horse. They are mostly found in the deserts of Asia and Africa. Dromedary is having only one hump but Bactrian is having two humps. Both categories are considered domestic animals.

Wild Bactrians are now endangered because domestic camels eat all their food and do not get the proper amount of food. Their lifespan is around 40 to 50 years. Camel is domesticated for carrying goods from one place to the other and for milk as milk is considered as the meal for the tribes.

Camels are having soft skin so there is a huge demand in the textile industry. In the past years, they were used in the military armies also. Camels store their food and water in the form of fat in the hump on this back.

That is why they can stay in the desert region for many years. They are domesticated for many years for food and even for textile. It is also used as a vital source of transport.

Camels are also having more than 7 species which are the llama, alpaca, guanaco, vicuna, and many more. Camel’s name came from the Latin word Camelus and Greek word Kamelos. The height of the full-grown camel is 1.85m and 2.15m is the hump.

7. Chicken

It is one of the examples of domestic animals. The culinary art of chicken is becoming so popular within the different cultures around the world. Chicken poultry is one of the most common poultry in the world.

They can be prepared as per the demand and taste of the person in the region or the country. It can be eaten in many ways like boiling, baking, grilling, or frying. In many countries like the US and China, chicken is used for intensive farming methods. According to the United States research, 19 billion chickens are found in the world.

Chickens are also having full eye vision as humans are having. The chickens can speak with the 24 voice changes as the different voices are different for many conditions like the voice during the strange predator is seen by them.

They are also having pain receptors that allow them to feel pain and distress. They play, run as they love to do it even when they are given a small place to stay like A4 size paper.

They are preferred for their red meat because they are having less cholesterol. Chicken is derived from the species of red junglefowl which is a domesticated fowl in southeastern Asia.

The male bird is recognized by the name cock or rooster. The small cock is named cockerel. The female adult is known by the name hen. “chicken” word is given to the bird who is immature and small in size but in the restaurant, it is becoming so popular mainly in American English.

Now, people are keeping chicken as the source food and even keep them as a pet. In the past years, they were not kept with the food because they think that it spoils the food. Chickens are more in quantity than other birds.

8. Ferret

Ferret is an animal which is domesticated for 2500 years. In the past years, they were used for killing rabbits but they are kept as a pet at home. It is an American polecat.

It is a mammal that gets mature after 6 months and the lifespan of a ferret is around 7-10 years. Ferret is having a 5.1-inch-long tail and it is 20 inches long. Its weight is 0.7kg to 2 kg. it is one of the beautiful animals which is domesticated for thousands of years.

You can even see tomb pictures in Egypt. The newborn baby of the ferret is having white fur and it is too small that it can be fitted into the teaspoon also.

Ferrets also require a cage for living in the home like other pets. The mature ferret is having a mixture of brown, black, white colors of fur on its body. They are derived from the Latin word “furittus” which means a little thief.

A male ferret is known by the name hob and a female ferret is known as jill. Ferrets after one year are known as kits. Business or historically as a busyness named given to the group of ferrets.

The male ferrets are larger than the female. Females deliver two to three babies every year. They get independent after 3 months. They sleep for 14-16 hours a day and they are active around dawn and dusk.

If ferrets are kept in cages, they should be taken out to free them and they should fulfill their curiosity because they need one hour to relax and play. They are living happily in social groups.

If they are good in the mood they may perform “weasel war dance”. They are not showing aggressive nature but they are showing joyful nature.

9. Domestic yak

Domestic yak is having long hair and is found in the region of the Himalayas in the Indian subcontinent. Bos Grunions is the scientific name of domestic yak.

Yaks are having a bulky body, sturdy legs, and extremely long fur. Yaks are also having a wide head, smooth horns, and soft ears. Yak is having a long tail as well. Male yak is having weight 350 to 580 kg and female yak is having weight 225 to 255 kg.

They can even live in the high latitudes because they are having larger lungs and hearts as compared to cows which are living in the lower latitudes.

Domesticated yaks have a scientific name for wild yak is Bos mutus. 90% of the domestic yak is found in the Tibetan plateaus of the Himalayas.

Yak is having a lifespan of 20 years when it is wild and lower when it is in captivity. Asia is having the third largest beast when yak is followed by the elephants and rhino.

They are also found in Myanmar, Yunnan, Sichuan, Mongolia, and Siberia in the north. Male yak is known as the Balti and female yak is known as the Tibetan. Yak are directly or indirectly related to cattle.

Males are having horns which are originated from the sides and curve forward. The horns are almost 48 to 99cm in length. Female horns are small in size which is around 27 to 64 cm.

Male and female both are having short necks and have a hump between the shoulders. This is mostly found in males. They are having long furry hair on the body which protect them from the cold. They are mostly domesticated for their fur, milk, and transport goods from one place to the other.

10. Wild boar

Wild boar is also called wild swine in North America, Eurasia, the greatest Sunda island. In history, it says that it is firstly found in southeast Asia. It is having a bulky body but its legs are thin.

They are mostly using its head for digging the ground. The condition in which they are living depends on the sizes and weight they are having. They usually produce three types of sound which are contact sound, combat call, alarm call.

The domestic pig is closely related to wild boar because it is the subspecies of wild boar. They are almost similar in size and shape. The color is different because color depends on the habitat in which they are living.

They are mostly found in Africa, Europe, Asia, Japan, Indonesia, India, and the east. They can easily find in a different habitat like grasslands, taiga, tropical rainforest, but they mostly prefer to live in deciduous forest.

This is becoming the widest-ranging mammal in the world because of its wide range, high numbers, adaptability to nature. they are categorized into four categories based on sizes. A male adult is seen in the breeding season.

They are mostly omnivores. The choice of food of wild boar is similar to the humans. The trunk of wild boar is short and robust. The place after the shoulder is having a hump in the adult wild boar and the neck is short and thick in the point of being nearly immobile.

The head of the wild boar is very large. It can dig 8-10 cm on the frozen land. The male wild boar is 5-10% larger and 20-30% heavier than the female wild boar.

11. Sheep

Sheep is one of the domestic animals since the ancient period in central Asia. There are almost 900 different breeds of sheep are found and 1 billion sheep are found in the world.

They are used in many ways as they may be used in medical research which can be focused on cardiovascular disorders and pregnancy. They can be used for milk, meat, fat, fleece.

They can grow up to the height of 25 to 50 inches and their weight can be 99 to 353 pounds. They are having spiral horns on the head. They are also having long tails when they are born. They like to eat different types of grass.

One sheep can consume 2 to 4.5 pounds of grass in a day. They also love to be heard and they always follow their leader. The lifespan of sheep is 6-12 years. The scientific name of sheep is ovis. It is also a ruminant.

They are having fur on the body which is called wool and there is a huge demand in the textile industry. Sheep are very much different from wild sheep in many different ways as they are having a short tail.

Some sheep do not have horns as it depends on the breed. The domestic sheep are having white, brown, black color fur on their body. Some male breeds are having horns on their head or some species are having one or more horns on their head.

Selecting the good fleece starts at the early age of domestication because it becomes very easy to dye them properly. Many colors have appeared on the sheep which are new breeds or modern breeds.

12. Zebu

Zebu is one of the oldest breeds of cattle in the world. At present, 75 different species are found in the tropical rainforest. It can be seen in the lain areas also. It is firstly seen in south Asia as they can live in the hot climatic conditions.

Then it is seen in the tropical regions of Africa and South America. They are having short and dense fur on their body and available in different colors like black, white, grey, and brown.

They are also having a hump on their back. They even have a layer of skin in the lower parts of jaws and ears. They also like to eat grass and even taste different types of grass like sheep.

They also like to eat seeds, flowers, leaves. They are also seen in groups or herds. The lifespan of the Zebu is 15-20 years. Its scientific name is Bos taurus indicus and its family belongs to Bovidae.

It is also having a dropping ear. They are mostly used as draught, riding animals, dairy cattle, and beef cattle. It can easily tolerate the high temperature of the sun and even live in drought areas also.

13. Donkey

The donkey is the smallest animal of the horse family. They are mostly used for carrying heavy carts from one place to the other and even plow the land in poor areas.

According to the surveys made, 41 million donkeys are present in the whole country. They are mostly found in China which is approximately 11 million.

Their height is almost 31 to 63 inches in height and their weight is 180 to 1.060 pounds. They are having a large head and ears with a short and stiff mane on the neck.

They are having large ears because it helps the donkey to release an excess amount of heat from the body and also to measure the sound in the desert areas. It eats grass and grains as it is an herbivorous animal.

The ancestor of the donkey is African wild ass. They are used for working for 5000 years. They are mostly used in underdeveloped countries and drought areas.

Donkeys are kept as a pet or for breeding in a very small amount. The male donkey is known by the name jack, and the female donkey is known by the name jenny. Baby of the donkey is known by the name foal.

The scientific name of the donkey is Equus asinus which means based on the principle of priority. The size of donkeys depends on the breed and management. for human use donkeys are the cheapest source of work.

They can be used for threshing, raising water, milling, and many other works. They can be used for carrying people from one place to the other.

14. Domestic duck

Ducks are mostly domesticated for eggs and meat purposes. It is one of the most popular domestic animals which was firstly found in china and then brought to unites states in 1873 and it is mostly used for commercial purposes.

It is a friendly animal as everyone wants the duck to be kept as a pet in their homes. The lifespan of the domestic duck is 9-12 years. And the weight is 8 to 11 pounds.

You can easily recognize the yellow beak and white layer of feathers on their body and yellow flat feet. Ducks are also kept as a pet or for their ornamental value. They are firstly domesticating in southeast Asia around 4000 years ago.

Then they were farmed by Romans in Europe, Malays in Asia. In Egypt, firstly they were captured, and then they were bred in captivity. 3 million ducks have been killed for getting the purpose. all the breeds of the duck except Muscovy are derived from the mallard.

The scientific name of the domestic duck is Anas platyrhynchos domesticus. Domestic ducks are having almost the same nature as compared to but ducks are not aggressive like mallards.

In the western areas, they are not much in demand as chickens are in demand there. The blood of ducks is not collected in some regions but it is used as an ingredient in some areas. Ducks can keep in cages, barns, or batteries.

They usually enjoy staying in the water but it is not necessary for their survival. They mostly eat grains, seeds, or insects. Their price is very less than the chickens as they are less in demand but they are more in demand in China and their prices are riser than chicken. Female ducks usually sit on the eggs to keep eggs warm so that they can hatch.

15. Domestic pigeon

Pigeon is the subdivision of the rock dove and it is also known by the name rock pigeon. It has been domesticated for 5000 years in Egypt. Many pieces of evidence show that domestication is started 10000 years.

They have a lot of contribution to human life and they are very helpful in wars as they can send letters through them. People also decorate their pigeons according to their services.

Domestic pigeon scientific name is Columba Livia Domestica. The rock pigeon is considered as the domesticated bird which was domesticated in earlier times. They are mostly used in wars to give humanity.

But nowadays in cities pigeons are seen as a pest. Pigeon reproduces in the same way as wild rock used to reproduce. Pigeon milk is produced by both male and female pigeons.

Pigeons are very protective of their eggs. If any human or any animal came in between their productivity then they take revenge on them. Baby pigeons are known by the name squabs.

Pigeons can come back after delivering the letter if released in a location. Pigeons are also hunted for meat. Selective breeding of pigeons is being done for commercial purposes. pigeons that are selected for meat are known as utility pigeons.

Conclusion

Animals are very useful to humans. They are having several characteristics which are helpful to humans. As we know that dogs are very faithful, guard our house, and have many more qualities.

Cats also need proper care and treatment at home. They can be trained as per the requirement of humans. Animals should be given proper care and they should not be beaten or hunt for our requirements.

As you are a natural gift, animals are also nature’s gift. So, you should not hunt them. Nowadays animals are getting extinct because of humans working. People are hunting or killing animals for their skin, nails, teeth, feathers, and many more things.

When they are kept as a pet they are not provided with proper food, sleep, and shelter due to which they get weak. You should not always think about yourself only. Think about nature as well as for animals also.

There are a variety of animals found on earth and all animals are very much helpful in one or another way. You should bind them according to your needs.

They should be left free so that they can live happily as you are living. If you are keeping them as a pet then you should give them proper care and shelter.

Frequently asked questions:

1. What is the most common domestic animal?
Cats and dogs are the most common domestic animals found. As they were firstly domesticated in ancient times.

2. What is the average life span of domestic animals?
6 to 12 years is the average lifespan of domestic animals.

3. What are the uses of domestic animals?
Dogs and cats protect the house. Farm animals like cattle, yak, sheep, and many more give milk, meat. Animals like horses, bullocks help to carry heavy goods from one place to the other.