Food Producing Livestock Animals

I use the term "livestock animals" to any domesticated animals humans keep for either food, labour, protection or other commodities like fur, tendons and bones. On this page I will write about our food producing livestock with a lot of focus on origins. Cattle is often the first animal that people think of but the first to give us food as domesticated was goats and sheep - this is believed to have been more than 10000 years ago. With time more animals like pigs, horses and cattle was included. The proximity to humans and voluntary and involuntary breeding led to big changes in physiology and to new species and breeds. The original horse was not big enough to ride, a cow produced only a fraction of the milk they do today. I have made a list below where I have listed some of our more common livestock. Most of them are spread throughout the world.

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List Of Livestock Animals

Alpaca is a so camelid and just like the llama realated to a wild species called vicuña which is found in alpine regions in the Andes. Kept for wool and meat for more than 6000 years. Are kept mostly for their meat and their pelt.
Bactrian camel is of the family camelidae and distinguishes themselves with two impressive lumps of fat on their back, many times just referred to as "camel". Native to north eastern Asia. A great beast of burden but also a provider of milk and meat.
Cattle of the family bovinae is one of our most important and loved livestock animals. They have been domesticated for over 8000 years providing us with milk and dairy products. Today they are spread out all over the world, originally they all stem from a now extinct wild species known as auroch, these huge animals lived in Europe, Asia and North Africa. There are many breeds all around the world, specialiced in producing milk, leather or meat.
Chicken are direct descendants of wild fowl native to Southeast Asia, they have been bred by humans for at least 7000 years. Today it is the most important livestock fowl in the world. Foodwise they provide us with meat and eggs.
Common Quail has been domesticated for hundreds of years. They provide eggs and meat. Native to Asia and Africa.
Deer have only recently started to be domesticated for meat production. Deer are native to all continents except Australia and Antarctica.

Dog have been domesticated for at least 14000 years and are all related to wild wolfs. The practice of eating dog in Korea has been widely criticized in the West but that is done with a short memory. Dogs were kept as pets, for hunt and for security but if the going got tough and there was no food on the table - that was when the dog got eaten.
Donkey is a relative to the horse. Has been domesticated for over 5000 years. Mainly a beast of burden but also provide meat. Donkey´s milk is considered to be healthy. Its ancestor is the African Wild Ass that is domestic to the north eastern part of Africa.
Dromedary also known as the "Arabian camel" has got one lump of fat om its back. It is probably native to the Arabian Peninsula , but is today found in North Africa, Australia and all over the Middle East. Provide meat and dairy products.
Duck just like the chicken duck are believed to first have been domesticated wild ducks (called mallards in Southeast Asia, this several thousands of years BC. In the Americas another breed was domesticated, the Muscovy, this was before Columbus. Duck provide meat and eggs.
Emu is the Australian ostrich. Thy have been farmed since the 80´s, they provide leather, oil and meat.
Goat All species of goat has it´s origin from the a wild goat that is domestic to Eastern Europe and southwestern Asia. Has been domesticated for about 10000 years and is one of our most valued livestock. Providers of milk and meat.
Goose Are domesticated fowl from two species, one native to East Asia and the other to Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. There is proof that Egyptians bred them 3000 BC. Foodwise they provide meat and eggs.
Guineafowl This bird native to Africa has been bred for thousands of years. This important livestock has many functions in Africa, one of the more important is to provide meat. Today they are bred allover the world and cherished for their savoury meat.
Horses have been with humans for at least 5000 years. The modern horse breeds are derived from various wild ones, some of them extinct. At the time of domestication horses were found in Europe and in Asia, hence the horse was introduced to the Americas. Meat and milk from horses have been important sources of nutrition for humans.
Llama The camel of South America is bred from the alpine living vicuña that were domesticated over 5000 years ago by tribes in western South America. The meat from the Llama is eaten.
North American Bison The famous "buffalo" has been farmed since the 19th century.
Pig is domesticated offspring from the Wild Boar. They were first bred by humans more than 9000 years ago. Were kept for their meat. The Wild Boar is native to Europe, North Africa and Asia.

Pheasants The many species of pheasants are all domestic to Europe and Asia. They have been bred for meat and feathers for hundreds of years.
Ostrich This big bird is native to Africa. It has been farmed on and off since Roman times; mainly for feathers, but also for meat and eggs.
Rabbits are native to all inhabited continents Australia where their introduction has had disastrous consequences for the ecosystem. Have been bred for meat and pelt for over a thousand years.
Reindeer have been herded by indigenous populations at least since the 17th century. The wild species were native to sub-arctic tundra like environments in the northern hemisphere - Russia, Norway, Sweden, Canada and US etc. Meat and milk is consumed.
Rhea is a large flightless bird native to South America. It has been farmed since the 20th century, provide meat, eggs and feathers.
Sheep is the result of domestication of the mouflon that is native to Eastern Europe and south and central western Asia, this happened around 10000 BC. Milk and meat is readily consumed.
Turkeys are related to wild turkey native to Mexico. We know they were domesticated by Mayans at least 2000 years ago. They are bred for meat and eggs.
Water Buffalo has it´s origins in wild buffalos in Southeast Asia. Since 5000 years they have been in use by humans. The meat is eaten but it is the milk that is the big nutrient source, cheese and yogurt is made from the fatty liquid.
Yak are native to Tibet and Nepal. In use by humans for thousands of years, as a beats of burden but also for meat and milk.