Not to be pedantic and potentially irrelevant, but the scientific use of the word “theory” is far different than the colloquial usage. The scientific theory about human origination is not comparable in validity, to, say, my theory that my dog poops on the sidewalk because grass feels funny to him. :lol:
I believe fossil evidence shows that the first hominids developed in Africa but that the first civilization began in the Fertile Crescent.
[QUOTE=vineyridge;8854537]
Sub-Saharan Africa–the zebra’s modern range–domesticated very, very few animals. The only one in this list is the guinea fowl.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_domesticated_animals
If there is no good reason to try domestication, why bother.[/QUOTE]
I’m not sure guinea fowl are exactly domestic, not like chickens are. But maybe I’ve met the wrong guinea fowl.
My question would be what was qualitatively different between early wild horses and zebras that resulted in only the horses being domesticated? It could not have been easy with the horses in the first few generations. Was there such a difference that made domestication of zebras impossible or was there some reason that humans in Africa didn’t undertake the long domestication process?
Horses weren’t the only equine domesticated.
Africa did just fine domesticating donkeys.
I believe (article is NOT that off) that wild horses in Eurasia (Steppes) took to the next level beyond food, transport with Gengis Khan
If you ever see docs etc. on Mongolia, that was probably pretty close to how horses came to be domesticated. They use them for everything.
[QUOTE=MsM;8855703]
My question would be what was qualitatively different between early wild horses and zebras that resulted in only the horses being domesticated? It could not have been easy with the horses in the first few generations. Was there such a difference that made domestication of zebras impossible or was there some reason that humans in Africa didn’t undertake the long domestication process?[/QUOTE]
I’m wondering if what happened was that zebras and humans co-evolved and zebras were possibly a prey item for humans. So they learned to stay far away from them and the curious ones ended up being eaten.
[QUOTE=RPM;8852989]
I was falling for it until I got to the link that said humans originated in Africa. I remember when this theory started to appear online. Not buying it. My history teaches that we originated in the Middle East, in or around what is modern-day Iraq.
Then the bit about zebras being untameable partly because of their “wild, mulish nature” makes no sense because, first, mules have been domestic animals “serving” humans for thousands of years so obviously fit the criteria of “tameable” as earlier mentioned in the article; and, two, mules were never wild but were “created” by humans crossing donkeys with horses. So that mules are not wild in the sense that zebras are. Mules were developed from tamed animals.[/QUOTE]
Humans as a species developed in the Great Rift Valley of Africa.
Human civilization (written language, irrigation, cities, etc.) began in the Fertile Crescent around the Rivers Nile, Tigris, and Euphrates.
Jared Diamond’s book Guns, Germs, and Steel does a good job of explaining the role of animal domestication (among other things) in the evolution of human civilization.
[QUOTE=StormyDay;8854503]
I think it is not so much that we can’t domesticate them, but that why would we? They would be a novelty at best.
I actually know someone who trained a zebra to be ridden, jump some little jumps and I think she even took it to a schooling show once… but it was not very athletic, and saddle fitting was a PITA.[/QUOTE]
The Chronicle had an article a few years back about a domesticated zebra who could jump the moon.
