Phew. This one took, uh… a bit longer than expected due to other projects both irl and art-wise, but it’s finally here. The long-awaited domestic animal infographic! Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough space to cover every single domestic animal (I’m so sorry, reindeer and koi, my beloveds) but I tried to include as many of the “major ones” as possible.
I made this chart in response to a lot of the misunderstandings I hear concerning domestic animals, so I hope it’s helpful!
Further information I didn’t have any room to add or expand on:
🐈 “Breed” and “species” are not synonyms! Breeds are specific to domesticated animals. A Bengal Tiger is a species of tiger. A Siamese is a breed of domestic cat.
🐀 Different colors are also not what makes a breed. A breed is determined by having genetics that are unique to that breed. So a “bluenose pitbull” is not a different breed from a “rednose pitbull”, but an American Pitbull Terrier is a different breed from an American Bully! Animals that have been domesticated for longer tend to have more seperate breeds as these differing genetics have had time to develop.
🐕 It takes hundreds of generations for an animal to become domesticated. While the “domesticated fox experiment” had interesting results, there were not enough generations involved for the foxes to become truly domesticated and their differences from wild foxes were more due to epigenetics (heritable traits that do not change the DNA sequence but rather activate or deactivate parts of it; owed to the specific circumstances of its parents’ behavior and environment.)
🐎 Wild animals that are raised in human care are not domesticated, but they can be considered “tamed.” This means that they still have all their wild instincts, but are less inclined to attack or be frightened of humans. A wild animal that lives in the wild but near human settlements and is less afraid of humans is considered “habituated.” Tamed and habituated animals are not any less dangerous than wild animals, and should still be treated with the same respect. Foxes, otters, raccoons, servals, caracals, bush babies, opossums, owls, monkeys, alligators, and other wild animals can be tamed or habituated, but they have not undergone hundreds of generations of domestication, so they are not domesticated animals.
🐄 Also, as seen above, these animals have all been domesticated for a reason, be it food, transport, pest control, or otherwise, at a time when less practical options existed. There is no benefit to domesticating other species in the modern day, so if you’ve got a hankering for keeping a wild animal as a pet, instead try to find the domestic equivalent of that wild animal! There are several dog breeds that look and behave like wolves or foxes, pigeons and chickens can make great pet birds and have hundreds of colorful fancy breeds, rats can be just as intelligent and social as a small monkey (and less expensive and dangerous to boot,) and ferrets are pretty darn close to minks and otters! There’s no need to keep a wolf in a house when our ancestors have already spent 20,000+ years to make them house-compatible.
🐖 This was stated in the infographic, but I feel like I must again reiterate that domestic animals do not belong in the wild, and often become invasive when feral. Their genetics have been specifically altered in such a way that they depend on humans for optimal health. We are their habitat. This is why you only really see feral pigeons in cities, and feral cats around settlements. They are specifically adapted to live with humans, so they stay even when unwanted. However, this does not mean they should live in a way that doesn’t put their health and comfort as a top priority! If we are their world, it is our duty to make it as good as possible. Please research any pet you get before bringing them home!
Some of yall keep teasing me like it's a game- You just keep pushing and poking the bear until it's too late....
I WILL feed and stuff you for my own benefit. I could care less in that moment if you're already filled to the brim.
I don't care if you're already so tight and right there at your limit. This isn't your fun time, it's mine. You're my little test subject and you'll be treated as much.
It's mistresses' time to test and experiment with you and see just how much you can take before that safeword is said. All that crying, whimpering, begging, pleading, it's all falling on deaf ears. You made your bed, now lay in it.
I'll make sure that you're nice and edged too. Just keep teasing you as you did me. You're sobbing, shaking and trembling. You feel like you can burst but can't even distinguish in what way.
All of this, just because you wanted to toy with me and forget your place....
well anyway, test this at your worst convenience 😊💕
funny story though. my roommate is still taking food but my memory is so bad when it comes to things i don’t eat myself (adhd)
when i talk to friends and family about the situation the first thing they ask is, “are you sure you’re not sleep eating?” which is adorable. they wanna believe, even if for a second, that maybe i’m not truly at fault for making myself into such a cow 🥺 i get it bc im getting very fat even with the thievery but at the same time. im literally being gaslit
I’m trying to document as much of Sqwishland “history” (???) as I can by finding photos of them. I loved these things as a kid and the thought of other people remembering them too makes me happy : )
Sources: 1/2/3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8
Image ID under cut its long lol
(Image ID: Eight photos of Sqwishland squishy animal vending machine toys on backing cards.
1) A lion, a penguin, an elephant, a pig, and a cow squishy on a backing card that says “Zoo Mania.”
2) A lobster, a clam, a seal, a crab, and a puffer fish on a backing card that says “sea mania 2”
3) A koala, a panda, a lion, a hippo, and a panda on a backing card that says “jungle mania.
4) A goat, an otter, an alligator, a sheep, and a snake squishy on a backing card that says “squishland swamp.”
5) A toad, a lizard, a turtle, an otter, a chameleon, a snake, a platypus, and a possum on a backing card that says “Squishland giant swamp”
6) A clownfish, an octopus, a dolphin, a sea horse, and an orca on a backing card with text that says “sea mania giant.”
7) A penguin, a snow fox, a polar bear, a moose, and a narwhal on a backing card that says “Squishland polar collection.)
8) Four Sqwishland backing cards. 1. “Forest” with a Fox, a beaver, a rabbit, a raccoon, and a deer. 2. “Jungle: glow in the dark.” with a parrot, a monkey, a panda, a koala, and an elephant. 3. “Jungle: glow in the dark” again with an elephant, a cow, a panda, a horse, a hippo, a monkey, a koala, and a lion. 4. “Farm” with a pig, a bull, a rooster, a cow, and a sheep.