Domestication Game: Understanding Animal Domestication Challenges

Welcome to the Domestication Game

This interactive simulation teaches you about the scientific challenges of animal domestication. You'll make breeding decisions based on real genetic principles and see how your choices affect success over generations.

Key Concepts

Domestication Syndrome: Most domestic animals share similar trait changes like docility, floppy ears, and juvenile features
Genetic Trade-offs: Selecting for one trait often affects others due to genetic correlations
Generation Time: Species with shorter generation times can be domesticated faster

Step 1: Choose Animal Group

Select the type of animal you want to domesticate:

Small Birds

Under 2kg - Fast breeding, quick results

🐣 Fast Generation: 1-1.5 years 📈 Quick Selection Results

Large Birds

Over 2kg - Longer breeding cycles

🦢 Generation: 2.5-3.5 years 🎯 Moderate Selection Speed

Small Mammals

Under 10kg - Very fast breeding

🐰 Generation: 0.25-1 years ⚡ Fastest Selection Results

Large Mammals

Over 10kg - Slow but powerful

🐎 Generation: 3-10 years 🐌 Slowest Selection Process

Step 2: Choose Ancestral Species

Select the specific wild ancestor to domesticate:

Step 3: Domestication Purpose

What do you want to domesticate this animal for?

🥩 Food/Meat Production

Breed for larger body size, muscle development, and efficient growth

Large body size Muscle development Fat deposition

🐕 Companionship

Breed for friendly, attractive animals that bond with humans

Juvenile features Communication Attractive colors

💪 Worker Animals

Breed for strength, endurance, and trainability for work tasks

Physical strength Work endurance Trainability

Step 4: Select Domestication Traits

Choose which traits to select for. Recommend selecting top 3 for "domestication complete" success.

Genetic Complexity:

Simple (1-2 gen) Moderate (3-8 gen) Complex (10+ gen)

Step 5: Breeding Strategy

Configure your breeding program parameters:

Breeding Population Size: 50 animals

10 200

Domestication Results

Here's what your breeding program would achieve:

Timeline

-- Generations

-- Years

-- Human Generations

Success Probability

--% Success Rate

Domestication Game