Why is it, that some animals can be domesticated and some can't?

Question

Why is it, that some animals can be domesticated and some can't?

Answer 1

i think they can if they're bred that way for many generations.  you can't take a wild animal and make it tame though...not truly tame.  their wild instincts are too strong and i believe instincts are traits which are passed along from generation to generation.  you would have to take the tamest of the animals from each litter and breed them with other tame animals of the same species over and over until they became truly tame.  i guess.

Answer 2

Most domesticated animals are pack animals, animals with a social structure with one or many pack leaders. All animals we have domesticated for other purposes than food are social animals that recognize us as pack leaders and therefore do what we tell them. Non-social animals can be domesticated, or tamed at least, but they never make very good pets. Cats are a notable exception, but lets face it, it's more like cats are using us than the other way around.

Answer 3

it's not that they can't.. it would just involve to much effort and time..

the ends don't justify the means

domestic animals are only used for food and pets nowadays (very few work animals)

so there really isn't a drive to domesticate new species..

Answer 4

Most animals were domesticated for food and burden. Almost any animal can be domesticated for food. Turkeys and rabbits are good examples. You only need to put them in cages or enclosures to prevent them escaping.

Only a few animals can be domesticated as beasts of burden. Horses and cattle have sweat glands and can endure long hours of work. Most other animals do not have sweat glands, and can not be beasts of burden.

Answer 5

like a previous poster said, they have to be bred as a domestic for years before they start to lose some of the natural instinct. it took over 5000 years for the wolf to evolve to the dog. (did a report on this for college). and there is always a risk for an animal to turn on its people...no matter how ddomesticated they seem. so all in all, none ever are 100% domesticated. they will still act on instinct