What were farm animals like before domestication?
Question from Jade Guerin
Over thousands of years, humans have greatly changed animals through selective breeding to make them suit our needs. Early sheep, for instance, had a short, coarse fleece before new woolly breeds were created around 6,000 years ago.
Many modern farm animals can grow faster and have more offspring than their ancestors, and are often far larger. Early wild chickens, for example, weighed about two pounds, but modern farmed chickens can weigh as much as 17 pounds.
Answered by Tom Lean for Brain Dump in How It Works issue 132.
To feature in our Brain Dump section, send us your questions to howitworks@futurenet.com or message us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter
For more science and technology articles, pick up the latest copy of How It Works from all good retailers or from our website now. If you have a tablet or smartphone, you can also download the digital version onto your iOS or Android device. To make sure you never miss an issue of How It Works magazine, subscribe today!
