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What If?
We have plenty of domesticated animals with us today. The dog, the housecat, cattle, chicken, domestic mallards, domestic greylags, koi, ferrets, and many others. The usual. The common. But what if, say, we had even more domesticated animals on “the list”? Some species, like mandarin ducks and Atlantic salmon are nothing farfetched. In fact, you may even wonder why they have not become domesticated yet. Correction: Atlantic salmon have been domesticated. Others are far more extravagant and would definitely make people ask why or what in the universe are you thinking. I am talking animals like the grizzly bear, the lion, the plains zebra, and get ready for it — the green anaconda! Now at this point, I must make a very clear disclaimer here: I am by no means suggesting that every animal I am about to discuss on this list should be kept as a pet. The purpose of this write-up is both theoretical and fantastical. As the first 2 words suggest, it is all about the “What If” factor. Like what would such an animal look like upon domestication? Would it even change physicals form at all? What would it take? Are we already attempting the domestication process of this species? Before going further, it would make lots of sense to talk about what even qualifies as making an animal domesticated in the first place.
Qualifications For Domestication
Contrary to what some might believe, simply breeding an animals for many generations and creating different colour variations of that animal absolutely does not make that species domestic. Yes, that is certainly part of the process, but taming and domestication are different things. Taming an animal is taking a wild species and conditioning it to be less fearful, and more tolerating of humans. The animal still has its wild traits and genetics fully intact however, even if it does not end up showing them all the time. Domesticated animals on the other hand, are tolerant and captive-ready from birth. They are animals that have been selectively bred and genetically adapted over generations to live alongside humans. They are genetically distinct from their wild ancestors or cousins. The universal traits qualifying as a domestic species are the following: Behavioral preadaption, vrain size and function, pleiotropy, and limited reversion.
Behavioral preadaption: traits that make a species more suitable to live along with humans from the beginning including things like easy to feed, quick growth, breeds easily in captivity, easy-going personality, lower flight responses, and being social. Brain size and function: domesticated animals have different craniums from their wild counterparts, as domestication tends to shrink the parts heavily geared towards fear and wild survival. Pleiotropy: the phenomenon in which a single gene affects two or more apparently unrelated phenotypic traits. Limited reversion: being unable to regain its original wild genetics, even when isolated from humans for generations.
The List
There are literally hundreds of thousands — correction: millions of different species out there. What do you do when you want to make a list where you have to omit thousands of awesome species? You limit it to about 50 animals that interest you the most. Tossing in species that are international icons, is also a good bet. So if you are wondering why are there so many wildly exotic animals on this list, you know why. Now let the fun, speculations, and fantasies begin!
Birds
There are several notable domesticated birds already: domesticated versions of mallard, greylags, and chickens mentioned earlier, as well as turkeys, barbary doves, pigeons, society finches, canaries and muscovies. The pattern you can see here predominantly boils down to 4 families: Anatidae, Phasianidae, Columbidae, and the Passeriformes order. With this pattern in clear sight, it makes you wonder why certain notable species of these families have not been domesticated. The Canada Goose and Mute Swan are 2 examples of great interest.
Mute Swan
There are 4 domestic species of commonly available Anatids. The fact that we do not have not even 1 domestic swan species is honestly very strange. It is even stranger when you become aware of the fact that humans have been eating or keeping swans for centuries. You would think that if people would domestic the swan goose and greylags for their meat, eggs, feathers, or as guard animals or pets, that it would have made a lot of sense to domestic an even, larger, meatier, prettier anatid. I have personally researched this question in the past, but have not been able to find an absolute answer. Most commenters have said something along the lines of them being rarer and harder to work with than geese. But if that were true, why were they farmed? There are a number of places that rear mute swans, though not certainly to extent of ducks and chickens, but enough to the point that some people go as far as to say that they mute swan can be classified as “semi-domesticated”. So if we did domestic mute swans, what morphs could we expect to see from them? Thanks to its close relative, the greylag, I could easily predict that we would have smaller breeds, crested breeds, perhaps even blue-grey breeds, or even a completely black mute swan! Yes, I am aware that there is already a black swan species, but I do think it is possible that a melanistic mute swan will, become a thing, if this species becomes domesticated for long enough. The benefit and purpose? Those that want a quiet black swan. The black swan species, Cygnus atratus, is not quiet! The mute swan on the other hand, as its name suggests, is naturally quiet. All the more for a reason to domesticate it.
Canada Goose
The Muscovy duck, a species native to North America, has been domesticated. Why has its larger, more abundant relative the Canada Goose, not been domesticated? Imagine how cool it would be if North Americans could buy various morphs of these birds for their farms, or even their personal properties. Morph possibilities? full white, full brown, completely black, grey, spotted, striped, crested, and leucistic are some realistic possibilities I can think of on the spot. In fact, off-coloured Canada geese have already been photographed. Had these specimens been captured and bred steadily for generations, there would be a lot of amazing morphs from this species. So what exactly is stopping us from doing this? In Canada and the United States, the Canada goose is a protected bird, so regular people cannot easily obtain one. And yes, the obvious must be stated: most people view the Canada goose as a very loud, dirty, aggressive bird, making it unlikely that the masses would accept it. Then again, this description also happens to fit the greylag goose, too. Yet, that has never stopped the Eurasians from domesticating it. Canada, stop fearing the Canada goose, and let people buy them the same way they get to with other anatids. There is so much potential with this feisty bird that has yet to be unlocked.
Red-breasted Goose
This is one of those animals that if you do not live near them, work with, or are an avid waterfowl fan, you would likely have never heard of it. The Eurasian people have domesticated a fair bit of species. For some reason, this beautiful, red-chested, small goose did not make the list. Perhaps they literally had their hands full with all the other animals they have been domesticating. Seriously, it takes guts, time, and energy to work with animals — some of which are predators! As for the red-breasted goose itself, it apparently has a blonde morph. This colour variation looks like the normal morph, but paler, and has brown wings. Interesting indeed. Not exactly something I would have predicted to come out of a wild black, red, and white animal. If this species had been continuously worked with, perhaps mankind been able to go as far as creating a variant that looks very close to the extinct meidum goose. Canine breeders have successfully created a breed that resembles that dire wolf, so recreating a meidum goose look-alike is not farfetched. A red-breasted goose with blonde feathers and a red chest is another morph that could be possible.
Mandarin duck
White, apricot, black, or blonde? All of these colour mutations already exist for this species. Not only that, Mandarin ducks are bred and kept readily in captivity. Domesticated? Not quite! Even though they are small, easy to buy, and abundant, the species is generally described as flighty. Nevertheless, its beauty and abundant captive population have some describe it as semi-domestic at best. If continual efforts are made to produce less skittish Mandarin ducks, this species is well on its way to domestication. Small, easy to feed, and being a flock animal are major preadaptive conditions the Mandarin duck has going for it.
Bald Eagle
The first question one would ask upon seeing the Bald Eagle on this list is a huge why? Why would anybody want to domesticate such a large, powerful, dangerous bird? The answer is actually not too surprising: falconry itself is already an ancient practice. Now, just imagine if humans took it further and domesticated one of the most iconic raptors on the planet. A bald eagle that would not be naturally inclined to shred or crush your parts would be a very useful falconry bird. A bird that is friendly enough to be around strangers, and not freak out easily over sights and sounds, would actually be a dream-come-true for not just falconers, but raptor-admirers as well. Could you imagine how popular they would be in American homes? Even Canadians and international people would want a domestic bald eagle. In some places, they allow certain species of raptors as pets. Bald Eagles are highly trainable, and have some colour variations in existence. If domesticated, we would have fully white bald eagles, fully brown, spotted, and likely even a blonde and tufted breeds.
Snowy Owl
This is owl is the most beautiful raptor in the world. At least in my opinion. Its sheer beauty and piercing yellow eyes make it a well-admired species, that even has a long history of recognition and stories among the Indigenous Peoples Of The Americas. As with the majority of raptors, it is a solitary species that is not naturally affectionate, hence making it difficult to tame, yet alone domesticate. Nevertheless, they can, and have been trained before. The species naturally exhibits varying amounts of white, black, and brown, though female are heavily speckled with black giving them that salt and pepper look. If it were to gain a domesticated counterpart, you can almost certainly expect there to be a morph with brown spots, instead black, and perhaps even black tiger-like stripes. As for a fully black snowy owl, I am not too sure about that, but it might not be impossible. If there were a domesticated species of it, I can totally see it becoming the most popular house raptor, if not, second or 3rd to something like the Bald Eagle or peregrine falcon.
Peregrine Falcon
Another extremely iconic raptor. A raptor that even goes back to the times of Ancient Egypt, as well as other Ancient civilizations. Even today, the Peregrine falcon’s sheer speed, hunting technique, and good looks make it a popular bird for falconry. Though it has been in falconry for 3000 years, nobody has specifically bred Peregrine’s to be friendly sit-on-you-arm type of birds. So what if ancient humans actually did that? Is there a purpose? Yes, if mankind is going to continue with falconry, we might as well start domesticating some of the more popular species to be actually be friendlier, and better dual companions. The Peregrine itself is highly trainable, but even falconers themselves will tell you that they never actually love you. A domesticated peregrine would love their owners, people in general, yet also continue to be a good hunting bird, who will do well indoors and out. And you can name it Heru. As for colour mutations, Peregrines already have some morphs that have no spots, brighter whites, and so forth. Domestication could bring forth white, black, grey, blonde, possibly even red?
African Sacred Ibis
A personal feathered friend of wisdom, writing, hieroglyphs, and science. How awesome would that be? And his is fittingly Djehuty, too. Too bad, you average African Sacred Ibis in reality is not quite that smart… Nevertheless, they are not stupid birds either. Sure, they cannot learn to write and speak eloquently on topics of literature and science, but that does not mean that they could not stand a chance to make interesting domesticated pets. There are even breeders that work with them. So this begs a question: if the African Sacred Ibis was so special to Ancient Egyptians, how come they did not domesticate it? They domesticated the North African Wildcat to give us the beloved domestic cat, so why not their Ibis? Who knows. What would a domesticated African Sacred Ibis look like? Given how ancient this animal is, it is safe to say that a lot of different colour variations and sizes could have come out of it over millennia. Spotted, speckled, crested, grey, black, brown, perhaps even red and purple. Seeing as though the related straw-necked ibis has green, purple, and blue on it, this makes it even more like that such colours could eventually appear on the African Sacred Ibis, if we breed for them.
Hyacinth Macaw
The hyacinth macaw is in a similar position to the reticulated python: they are both the longest species within their entire family, but not heaviest, with that title going to the kakapo and green anaconda respectively. And neither of them, or any member of their family has been domesticated in any form either. See, despite parrots being such common cage birds, they are still very wild animals at heart. And this I can actually speak on from very personal experience. By default, they are very flighty, cautious, loud, messy, and destructive animals. Harsh, but it is something that most parrot owners are aware of. It takes a massive amount of time and commitment to training and keeping them, hence why you can quickly see why they have not been domesticated yet. Well some consider the “English Budgerigar” to be the closest thing to a domesticated parrot right now, due to their naturally calmer personality and alternate size. The hyacinth macaw? FAAAAAAR from it! It is going to take some serious and committed breeding to get the hyacinth macaw and the majority of parrots to be naturally friendlier, quieter, non-destructive creatures. What colours could arise from the hyacinth macaw upon domestication? I was tempting to stick with a conservative prediction and say varying shades of blue, but seeing the wild mutations that have come out of the blue-and-gold macaw and scarlet macaw, I guess I might as well say that a purple hyacinth macaw could actually become a possibility sometime down the road.
Palm Cockatoo
Like the hyacinth macaw, the palm cockatoo also demands a high price, but because it even rarer, it is even more expensive. How expensive? If Google is telling the truth, $15,000 USD for starters. In Canadian value as of October 2022, that is $20,570! Wow! This has to do with the fact palm cockatoo only lays 1 egg per clutch, and do not reach sexual maturity until 7. This means that domesticating this species, and selecting traits for both friendliness and fecundity could very well take a millennium. The budgerigar’s bigger clutch size, and quicker maturity has helped it achieve a near-domesticated breed. Larger parrots are going to take a lot longer. Could a white palm cockatoo be a possible domesticated variant? I would say so. I would also expect jet black, and reticulated patterns as well. And of course, breeds with extravagant crests and even feathered collars.
Congo African Grey
The Congo African Grey is a very common parrot in private collections due to its impressive speaking capabilities, as well as its penguin-like appearance. They can lay 2-5 eggs per clutch, and since they have 2 clutches a year, this would mean a maximum of 10 from a highly fertile African grey couple. This would make it a bit easier to breed for morphs and traits than other larger parrots. Speaking of traits, if you have not seen the colour mutations that exist for this species, you will be amazed. There are all red mutations, red and grey, grey with red spots, and others. Incredible and beautiful! For this reason, I do not even need to bother with what physical traits could come from domestication, because there are already more than I would have assumed. Perhaps more white and ivory morphs might be next? Maybe also some with tufts. A tufted mutation is usually a safe bet when it comes onto birds. Let us not forget quieter! A domesticated Grey will need to be quieter and more predictable.
Victoria Crowned Pigeon
With piercing red eyes, a gorgeous feathered crown, and a lovely blue body, the Victoria Crowned Pigeon is a beautiful member of the columbidae family. Yes, those that are familiar with the family might argue that the fruit doves are even prettier, but they lack the size and royal beauty of the Victoria pigeon. I know. Very subjective. We have domesticated the rock pigeon from millennia ago. Why were its larger, prettier relatives, like the Victoria crowned pigeon skipped? In the Victoria’s case, I would assume that it being a tropical bird with a range limited to Papua New Guinea and surrounding regions, largely explains it. The rock pigeon’s range spanned across continents making it a flexible catch. It should also be mentioned that the rock pigeon lays more eggs and clutches, which made it far easier to breed for mutations and traits. Nevertheless, the Victoria crowned pigeon could still be a good candidate for domestication, due to its simple dietary requirements and gentle personality. Mutations I would predict include fully purple, dark blue, pale blue, different crest colours, and perhaps even black?
Toco Toucan
I have watched enough toucan videos to tell you right off the bat the problem with their kind: they are hyper, require fresh fruit, and are very sensitive to iron. Yes, very wild indeed. Nevertheless, there are lot of breeder out there that sell them. You can even easily buy low-iron toucan pellets for them online. Interesting, eh? But that said, people that own them always warn aspiring toucan owners that they are very different from other commonly kept birds like parrots. For these reasons, domesticating and understanding the toco toucan and its relatives is going to take generations. How many? I have no idea. Certainly not as long to attempt domestication with something more extreme like a grizzly bear, but not at easily as a rock pigeon either. But because they have been kept for enough time to become aware of their challenges and such, it might not take, say something like 1000 years. For mutations, a partrial leucistic mutation already exists. This means that with further breeding efforts, you can expect to have white toco toucans, fully black, and perhaps even spotted.
Australian little penguin
Tiny, blue, and cute. A lot of people fancy the idea of having a pet penguin. Myself not included! As cute as they may look, they are all protected species, require cold temperatures, lots of fish, lots of water, a pack of the same species, and they defecate copiously. And they are also loud on top of all of this. No wonder no ancient or modern people have ever attempted to domestic them! Well, truth be told, it could have been done, but nobody saw the point or need for it. Then again, was there a purpose in turning certain populations of wolves into chihuahuas? No, there was not. So if somebody does live in a cold climate, and has pond or pool, access to lots of fish, you could keep penguins without too much difficulty. Furthermore, they do not have a natural fear of humans. Being social and not afraid of humans are 2 major preadaptive traits that would make them not too hard to domesticate after all. This is not to say that it will be easy, but that the bigger challenge is actually the laws. Still will not stop some people from doing it anyway. In fact, there are a lot of animals that people are keeping even though they should not. Now, what would a domesticated penguin look or behave like? Breeding for friendliness and better heat tolerance are 2 things that would take priority. A fully blue little penguin and fully white is also expected. Do not be surprised about blue with white spots either.
Emperor Penguin
For reasons discussed under the Australian Little Penguin, Emperor Penguins will not become mainstream pets for now. Even if the laws were to change, the cold room requirement, fish, fishy-smelling poo, and noise would turn a lot of people off. Certainly not everyone, especially those who already live in subarctic or polar climates. There are people out there who keep whatever their eyes desire. I do not recommend doing that. I do think emperor penguins look and sound really cool. Should mankind ever decide to breed them en masse and for better tolerance to a variety of climates, I can actually see a fair bit of colour mutation coming out of the emperor penguin. Black, grey, yellow, orange, and red, are all mutations I predict.
Blue jay
There are already numerous corvids that can be kept as pets. The cool part? They are really intelligent, and can imitate speech. It really makes me wonder why the prettiest member of the corvid family, the blue jay, was not domesticated. I see the potential for a lot of different colour combinations and patterns of blues, blacks, greys, and whites. In the case of Canada and the United States, laws prohibit people from keeping wild blue jays as pets. Does this mean that you could get them through a licence, or if they were captive bred from elsewhere? I am not legal expert, so I cannot answer. Still, I think it would be cool to have pet blue jays. Their diet and husbandry is not complicated either, making them reasonable to breed in captivity. Domesticated blue jays would make for wonderful, highly intelligent, feathered companions.
Indian Peafowl
The Indian Peafowl is very well on its way to domestication. In fact, some might even argue it already is. Not only has it been extensively bred and kept in captivity for millennia apparently, but has 13 known distinct color mutations. White, Cameo, Purple, Charcoal, Opal, Buford Bronze, Peach, Midnight, Jade, Taupe, Sonja’s Violeta, Hazel and Indigo. I need not say more. Despite all the colours available and common captive status, it has yet to truly become a full-blown domesticated animal.
Reptiles
There is not a single species of domesticated reptile. No, not even 1. It is easy to think that some like the royal python with its hundreds of colour mutations and ease of care are domesticated, but are not. Why is this so? Though some reptiles like pond turtles were apparently kept as pets for centuries, they were never bred to the point of a change in DNA to form a domesticated a variant. The reptile hobby as we know it today, did not become massively popular until the mid to late 1900s. This means that the consistent breeding of reptiles is not even 100 years. Many captive-born specimens from species are not even 5 generations far from the wild, some even less. Perhaps the question is do we even need to domesticate reptiles? Breeding for friendlier traits, absolutely, but why else might one want to pursue full-blown domestication? Better tolerance to temperatures is another I can think of.
Nile crocodile
Your eyes may have widened upon seeing this. An exception is if you are familiar with the reptile hobby, because you would already know that these things are kept captivity. And fairly popular, too. Not as common as something like a leopard gecko, but have a presence. Should you get a Nile crocodile? I personally do not think you should. But what if you did? Imagine having your own domesticated Nile Crocodile who had military prowess, and made your land fertile for growing much crops. You then realize I am poking at Sobek. I do not know how many people name their Nile crocodiles Sobek, but the question is why? Why do people keep crocodiles as pets, and who will be up to the task of the domesticating them? Certainly not the Egyptians. They have passed this predator on, and have decided to leave it up to the crazy North Americans do the crazy job. And Australians! How can I talk about crocodiles and not mention Australians? Sure, they have their own species of crocodile, but that would not stop some for working with the Nile crocodile in particular. Albino crocodiles are already a thing, so other colours could include leucistic, black, piebald and others. Crocodiles are apparently intelligent and trainable. Perhaps if the Ancient Egpytians had the safety tools and equipment in place, we may have been able to have modern dinosaurs by now.
Royal Python
Upon quick research, some sources say there are 4000 colour morphs while another says there is 7500. Let that sink in for a moment: 7500 colour mutations for just one species of snake. Not even cats and dogs have that many colour mutations! Wow! That is truly incredible for an animal that has not even been bred for 200 years. So perhaps the better question is what would have happened to the royal python if we had been breeding it for as long as we have been breeding dogs? Would there have been 1 million morphs? New species derived from regius altogether? I see both as valid possibilities. Maybe 1 million might be exaggerated, but the new species is certainly not, as this happened with many animals in the past. So what make the royal python wild? Though very manageable in captivity, its wild traits continue to effect how it should be kept in captivity. A domesticated royal python would more readily accept a vaiety of meats, and be accepting of humans from birth; 2 critical things this colourful, beloved python lacks. But even lacking these traits, it still makes a fine, popular pet for an exotic animal lovers across the planet.
Burmese Python
Even though these snakes on average can be anywhere from 3 to 4.88 metres, or even 6 metres in some cases, they are bred en masse and are common pets in the United States and other parts in the world. Burmese pythons are not too common in Canada since many municipalities either ban exotic animals altogether, or restrict snakes to being 3 metres or less. Not all Canadian municipalities are like this, however. Nonfamiliar with the reptile industry? You must be wondering why in the great grand universe are deer-swallowing reptiles found in so many homes or facilities? Believe it or not, they have a reputation as being easy-going. Make no mistake; they are still large, wild animals that absolutely must be respected for their strength, and require serious knowledge of snake-keeping. These issues aside, they have been bred to the point that there are now numerous colour morphs such as the following: albino, patternless, albino patternless, labyrinth, albino labyrinth, granite, caramel, and pied. Now the Burmese python still has the brain of wild animal despite its paintjobs. How long will it take for it become domesticated? It is hard to give precise numbers, given that no reptile has been domesticated to date. I do not think it would take a millennium or longer to do this. Being able to live indoors, breed in great quantities, usually relaxed nature, and its non-fussy appetite are its main factors going for faster domestication than some other snakes.
Reticulated Python
Depending on sex and locale, the Reticulated Python can grow between 1.5-6.5 metres. This makes it the longest snake in the world. Reports of snakes longer than 7 metres are not firmly verified. And yes, like the Burmese python, they too have been bred en masse in captivity. Not only that, but they have even more colour morphs available, too. Albino, Amel, Caramel, Pied, Orange Ghost Stripe, Anthrax, Genetic Striped, Ghost, Anery, Titanium, Tiger, Platinum, Sunfire, Motley, Golden Child, Phantom, Tribal, and Marble. Wow! For a goat-swallowing, 5-metre long serpent, that is an impressive feat given that it has not even been 50 years of captive keeping! Now, these a just paintjobs, that have nothing to do with improving the animal’s behaviour, but it does highlight something important: breeds and does well in captivity. A snake that can potentially grow to nearly 7 metres is absolutely not for everyone. For those that understand them though, it is clear that they can make a nice pet. It should also be noted that unlike the Burmese Python that is usually more relaxed or even lazy, the reticulated python is quite the opposite: active and curious. A lot of snake-keeper even go as far as claiming the reticulated python as being the most intelligent of pythons. A successfully domesticated reticulated python will need to be far less defensive towards humans.
Green Anaconda
In popular culture, the green anaconda is portrayed as a super monster with a malevolent personality, and is capable of swallowing anything it wants. In reality, the longest reliable common length is 6 metres, and that is only for the females. Males might only reach a maximum of 4 metres, if even that long. They also do not have a natural interest in eating people. To date, there has not been one reliable report of a green anaconda that swallowed a human, unlike the reticulated python. Domesticating this “monster in popular culture” would truly be an interesting thing. It is not as commonly kept as other giants like the reticulated and Burmese pythons, but it has been bred enough to allow an albino morph to come out of it. The Burmese and reticulate pythons already have natural dwarf variants. So for the green anaconda to become a successful, long-term domesticated animal, it will not only need to have a nicer personality, but also smaller morphs available for people who would rather not have a 6 meter serpent, even if it is super friendly and loves people. As for morph possibilities, snakes have clearly demonstrated that a diverse assortment of variations can come from simple, rudimentary wild colours. The green anaconda by default does not have a basic, simple, nor bland colour pattern. Further captive breeding is going to lead to lots of wondrous colour possibilities for this water boa.
Red-tailed Boa Constrictor
There are several subspecies of boa constrictors. The one I am talking about here is boa constrictor constrictor or BCC as hobbyists would call it. Boa constrictors are extremely common exotic pets across the planet in both private and public collections alike. Even though they can quite easily hit 2.5 to 3 metres, their impressively attractive colouring, usually docile personality, and ease of keeping has allowed them flourish in captivity. They also have plenty of various colour mutations, so I do not even need to make predictions. For an animal that has such a “scary” name, it has a lot going for it. Had ancient peoples realized this, this species would have been domesticated from longtime. In some areas, boa constrictors can play a large role in controlling populations of pest rodents and opossums. Sounds like a cat with scales, if you ask me.
Leopard Gecko
Some people consider leopard geckos, bearded dragons, corn snakes, and crested geckos to be the first examples of domesticated reptiles. While all of these species do absolutely well in captivity, have numerous morphs and such, In order to domesticate an animal, selection processes need to take place that causes significant behavioral and morphological changes that allow the population to better be managed by people. While the leopard gecko ticks off just about all of these, it is missing one spot: no full-blown domestic subspecies. Still, some would say that is not absolutely necessary, so depending on which camp you fall in, the leopard gecko is either domesticated of half-domestic. I must point out that it even has giant versions of it, which even them too, are usually friendly and can come in captive colours. In conclusion, the leopard is for sure at least semi-domestic. The species is extremely common and does well with humans.
Tokay Gecko
Unlike the calm, quiet, captive-thriving leopard gecko, the tokay gecko is wild and either quick to bite or flee. Biting is particular common, and the lizard is generally known to have a feisty personality. Nevertheless, its attractive colouring, size, and liveliness make it a fairly common gecko in the pet market. With proper knowledge and trust, captive tokay geckos can make good pets. The species has a lot of beautiful colour patterns: powder blue, melanistic, olive, yellow-spotted, leucistic, high red, granite, high yellow, calico, blue-and-yellow, and others. Domestication would bring out even more vivid colour morphs, and definitely calmer personalities, as that is one of the biggest pain points with the general nature of the tokay. People are fascinated with getting their hands on super-sized tokays, so in the future, domesticated or not, it is safe to say that somebody is going to come out with giant tokay geckos.
Giant New Caledonian Gecko
This large, silver-eyed gecko is not quite as commonly kept as leopards, crested, or even tokays, but does have a presence. It has few colour morphs availble, and because it is not all that common, it has quite a way to go if it were to gain a domesticated variant. Upon domestication, I predict that it would come in a wide assortment of greens, greys, blacks, whites, and combinations of these. And there would be a morph that is even larger, because that predictably happens. A gecko that enjoys crawling on you, and sometimes licking you, would either give some the creeps or thrills. Their feet allow them to stick to surfaces, so you would be able to have your pet hang from your arms, wild or not. If a blue morph or morphs with colourful spots were to crop up, you can bet that would make this species’ popularity surge. Perhaps even more so than the tokay gecko, since Giant New Caledonian geckos are naturally larger to begin with.
Red-eared Slider
I was initially going to leave the red-eared slider off the list, but then I asked myself a question: are you really going to leave the most commonly kept turtle in world off the list? No self, you cannot do that. So here we are with the world’s most common pet turtle. Now, why are they so common? Cheap, hardy, and breed readily. In fact, the hardy part is a problem to the point that they are illegal in some areas due to their status as a problematic invasive species. Now, despite this reptile being in the industry for some time, it is not domesticated. Could get there soon probably. As expected, it has numerous colour morphs available. If there is a trend I am noticing upon researching these species as I type these entries, is that reptiles pump out colours rather quickly. I know I already touched on this under the royal python entry, but it does make me wonder just what would have happened if we attempted this, say, 5000 years ago or something. Lots of possibilities indeed. As for a domesticated red-eared slider, a turtle that enjoys daily handling is going to be the top desired trait for not just red-eared sliders, but turtles in general. Turtle lovers wish that they could handle their turtles a lot, but unfortunately, most species do not enjoy that. A domesticated turtle would change that entirely, and make them fond of handling and human company.
Eastern box turtle
With its red eyes, black and orange colouring, it is a very familiar species among turtle-keepers. It also helps that it has been in captivity for decades, though oddly has almost no colour morphs available for it, aside from albino and possibly a hypo morph. It being mainly terrestrial makes it easier to house and maintain than aquatic turtles. Though the Eastern box turtle can be handled, its wild traits make it clear that it is no housecat or dog. Upon domestication, it would not only enjoy this, but would bring out more color morphs such as black, leucistic, piebald, high orange, high red, and perhaps even reticulate and polka dot patterns. I would not rule out the possibility of seeing a “bumblebee” morph either. I would even go as far to say that is will not be matter of if, but when.
Diamondback Terrapin
This is the prettiest turtle species in the entire world. Yes, that is my opinion, but if you have not seen what these look like yet, then you will end up agreeing along with me. No? That is ok. Name a prettier one and I might check it out. That is if you can even find a species as beautiful of the diamondback terrapin. The white skin with black polka dots, and diamond patterned shell have made it a longtime favourite of mine. They are said to be fairly docile, but can be bite, and hard too, if they feel threatened. It has few morphs available in captivity. A domesticated diamondback terrapin, I would imagine to have an explosive assortment if morphs if people were to really get down with seriously breeding it for traits of handleability and colours. Pure white skin morphs, pure black skin morphs, perhaps even black skin with white polka dots, and shells with immaculate combinations of blacks, oranges, yellows, or reds. Lots of possibilities for the most beautiful turtle in the world.
Horsefield tortoise
A popular and small species of tortoise. Unlike its South America relative, the red-foot tortoise, this species does not seem to really have any morphs available for it. A bit unusual for a reptile. Perhaps they exist, but I may have to look deeper into it. Either way, there is not very much, which means that this species has not been bred as enthusiastically as other reptiles, even though its supposed to be a common one. Either that, or perhaps it might just be one of those species that does not have much room in its DNA for colour change. Is that a bad thing? Of course not! There is more to an animal than its paintjobs. A healthy animal is better than a fancy morph with health problems. Nevertheless, I do believe that there will be morphs coming out of it in the future. Albino is a given, as well as high yellow, black, and other black and yellow combinations. Horsefield tortoise that will not bite or pull away quickly will also be done.
Cherry-headed red-foot tortoise
This tortoise is one that actually catches my eye. Why? Because it has colours that pop, and is not bland-looking, unlike the overwhelming majority of tortoises. Chelonion breeders, would agree. This species has a lot of breeders that work with it, and has numerous hypo morphs and locales with varying decrees of how red the skin, or how yellow the shell can get. Very cool, indeed. Upon domestication, or even semi-domestication, we will see high reds; high yellows; black and red; black and yellow; black, yellow, and red, and a lot of other wonderful combinations. Yes, I should also mention that because the red-foot tortoise is in the same genus as the Galápagos tortoise: Chelonoidis, maybe, just maybe, there could be a possibility for a gigantic red tortoise breed. I personally would not advocate for this, but if that breed were to have no health issues, then people can breed it if they want.
Mammals
Because majority of the pet industry consists of the breeding, selling, displaying, or training of carnivores, this section is where things are going to be of most interest to those that love furry carnivores. Let us talk about that for a moment. What is up with mankind’s fascination with furry carnivores? On paper, this sounds fairly terrifying. Worse, there were no veterinarians, care sheets, or modern protection in those ancient times either. People kept wolves and north African wildcats without the comfort and security of modern tools and safety gear. Fast forward to today, and there are several species of carnivores that mankind is attempting to domesticate, some of which I honestly think really should not even be attempted. So back to the question: why do people love furry carnivores so much? Back then, it was a matter of the animals offering assistance: be it hunting, guarding, pulling, or eradicating vermin. Makes sense. And today? Because they are very cute, are amazing social media stars, and make for excellent memes! I am partially kidding. It helps that they have a lot of tools and toys like chew bones, nail clippers, brushes, rubber toys, stainless steel bowls, roller balls and more. Now let the mammalian discussions begin.
North American beaver
A Canadian man pours some maple syrup onto his pancakes. He then offers some bark and water lilies to his pet beaver. Very Canadian, eh? Not so fast! While there are no federal laws completely banning the ownership of beavers, there is a strong reason why they have not become Canada’s favourite pet rodent: difficulty. Keeping them is challenging because they are they are difficult to train, house, and care for. They would chew up your wooden things, and have been shown to take random object and dam up doors and stairs with them. That is sure to sour any Canadian’s maple leaf fluttering day. But wait; what if we domesticated them? What if we had a domesticated species of beaver that was highly trainable, enjoys being handled, does not dam up your house, does not require a river, nor does it chew up your wood? And what if this same North American Beaver Domesticus came in black, white, ivory, grey, or even spotted combinations of those colours? Do you think it would become a super common pet in Canada? Yes, quite possibly. I could even see it becoming popular across other parts of the world, and Canada gaining yet another bragging right: domesticating one of the most popular icons associated with its name. Now of course, this is all theoretical talk. What is the actual likelihood of this happening? I do not know. There is not a high interest at all, at the moment. In anything, we are far more likely to have wild cat species becoming mainstream long before the beaver would, if it even ever does. It might someday, though. It has a lot of traits it will need to lose, but it is certainly doable, and is a far safer species to work with than a lot of the other mammals mankind has or is working with. That is one major plus point is has, that a lot of the other mammal on this list are brutally lacking.
Plains zebra
A zebra is basically a striped African horse. I have heard this one several times before, but is that even true? Yes, it actually is! They are even in the same genus, Equus. A lot of you may have already known, or suspected that, but is still cool to type about. Now this is truly a frequently asked and answered question: why have we not domesticated the African striped horse? Funnily, I actually privately researched this sometime ago and learned that it is because zebras are far more skittish and defensive than wild horses, to the point that it is dangerous. That said, somewhere along the research, I also learned that there were numerous attempts to do so, and that if people had been more patient, and did not treat zebras as if they should function exactly as their Eurasian counterparts, that they would have been semi-domesticated at this point. Apparently, there has actually been a lot of attempts throughout history to do so, but with limited success. The beautiful thing about the 21st century is that we have the knowledge, and know what wrong with past attempts. If Equine breeders really wanted to commit to domesticating the Plains Zebra, it can be done. When and how long? Who knows. Perhaps another question is why? Is the present domesticated horse and donkey not good enough or something? Because they look really nice, and it would be cool to have a striped horse that does not have such a nasty, skittish attitude. So aside from their beautiful striped looks, is there actually any practical reason for having a domesticated zebra? We already have the horse and donkey, so are the stripes really worth going for? If you ask me, someone who is not even an equine person, I am going to yes. Why not? If people are keeping reticulated pythons, lions, and Nile crocodiles, which honestly do not even offer significant benefits to humans, why not have more equine choices? More jobs, research, and potentials with the African striped horse. Yes, mankind should continue working with the zebra.
Serval
I told you! Mankind has a serious affinity for furry carnivores. Despite being classified as a wild animal, the serval has now become one of the most common wildcats to be found in peoples’ homes. See, even when humans already have 1 domesticated species of an animals that already serves its role, we still go after more, because why not? The serval, like the North African Wildcat happens to conveniently have a lot traits that make it suitable for domestication. And ever so subjectively, it looks far better, too. In fact, let us be hyper honest here: it is the serval’s looks that have drawn mankind to breeding this animal extensively. It is very cute and looks like a mini cheetah. Does that mean that the serval makes a good pet for the average cat owner? Certainly not! Though it is classified as an animal that will not take long to reach domestication, it is still genetically wild, and acts like it. It requires whole prey, is very active, not tolerant of people by default, and other traits that need a fixing to become a domestic, spotted, housecat suitable for the masses. Nevertheless, it makes a vastly better pet, even in its present form, than some of the other terrifying cats you will see later on in this write-up.
Caracal
Upon researching, I have learned that the keeping of caracals goes back to the time of the Ancient Egyptians. The catch? For some reason, they never bothered to domesticate them. Only tame them. Then again, I frequently hear that the domestic cat was never deliberately domesticated by humans, and that it was the African wildcat itself that decided to behave nicely in exchange for its hunting skills. I do not entirely believe this statement, because an animal can only play so nice for so long. Without deliberate attempts to control the North African wildcat’ wild traits, we would not have so many different breeds of different patterns and personalities all with one key thing: tolerance and affection for humans. And this would explain precisely why increasingly kept wildcats like the caracal and serval have not quite achieved domestication yet: they need to change on a genetic level to have their violent attributes taken out of them, to make them safer housecats. The caracal in its current form can be tamed pretty well, but without taming, it can be dangerous. Not to the degree of something like a lion, but it would have been if it were larger. I love the way the caracal looks, so it would be cool to see what mutations would come out of it upon full domestication. Given its naturally red coat, it is safe to say that most breeds will end up being assortments of browns and reds.
Lion
Why. Why do people keep lions? Was the domesticated grey wolf not good enough? The domesticated North African wildcat no impressive enough? Is the wild, but manageable serval not exotic enough? It is particularly prominent in the Arabian peninsula, and yes, even North America. Some parts of Europe too, apparently. I left Africa out of the equation, because it is totally expected that there would be a lot of lion keepers there. So back to the question: why would anyone want to keep a lion as a pet? Because they have a bank account taller than Mount Logan and a brain wilder than a bush boy hollering and rampaging through the rainforest. In some cases, they may be wildlife experts with experience, but it still seems wild and wondrous. One thing that I must bring up is that the lion is one of the most widely recognised animal symbols in human culture. It has been extensively portrayed in sculptures and paintings, on national flags, and in contemporary films and literature. The lion is viewed as a symbol of strength, bravery, and nobility, despite how many times it has attacked and eaten people throughout history. Lionlike and lion-hearted are 2 adjectives that are examples of just how revered this golden carnivore is. Now as dangerous as it can be in its current state, it can be trained. There are many videos and pictures of people that you may describe as brave, crazy, or stupid, interacting with tamed lions as if they are housecats. Domesticating the lion is going to take a tremendous amount of work and time, but is possible. A domesticated lion is absolutely going to need to be friendlier, non-violent towards humans, and yes, smaller. Upon domestication, there will be an assortment of lion colours in yellows, browns, blacks, greys, whites. In fact, some of these mutations are already occurring. Domestication will make them even more prevalent. Mankind’s deep love for furry carnivores is the only reason I can think of why we did not stop at the grey wolf and North African wildcat, which brings me to another big cat: tiger.
Mainland Asian tiger
One thing I did not mention about the lion from above is that it is a social animal. While that does not make it a safe animal, it does allow it to be more workable. The tiger on the other hand is a solitary animal. Not only that, tigers are the largest feline in the world. Yes, even bigger, heavier, and stronger than the already powerful lion. Therefore, domesticating tigers is going to be a longer and more daunting task than lions. Or is it? At least on paper, it would. But never mind, there are already thousands of tigers in captivity right now, some of which are in private collections. Can you guess which country has the largest population of captive tigers? Did you say the United States Of America? You guessed correctly! Bonus points if you particularly singled out Texas. Why do people keep tigers? Typically boils down 2 reasons: status or cultural reasons. In some parts of Asia, people have tigers living alongside them for cultural and ancient reasons. Dangerous? I think so, but they may know what they are doing. Or not. The overwhelming majority of the time tigers are kept solely for status. They are very good-looking animals and owning such a large, pretty cat is an amazingly unintelligent way to flaunt your money and power. The domestication of the Mainland Asian Tiger should be left up to the professionals. Not the fans. Once and when the tiger does become domesticated, only then should regular people take them into their homes and backyards. A domesticated tiger is going to need to have its prey drive drastically reduced or even eliminated altogether. There also needs to be smaller tiger breeds to make them more manageable. But even if their size does not shrink, the most important traits are going to be love for people, patience, and limited to no prey drive. Despite being far from domestic it has 5 natural mutations already: standard, white, snow white, golden, and pseusdomelanistic. As the breeding of tigers continues, you can expect to see patternless orange tigers, fully black, white with orange stripes, and many more.
Cheetah
If you are in the Panthera-only club, the Cheetah is not a big cat. If not, then both Panthera and large non-panthera cats are considered big cats. What really makes the Cheetah special is that it is apparently the friendliest of the big cats. Make no mistake: the Cheetah is not for everyone. However, is the most trainable of them all and has been kept since the times of Ancient Sumer as well as Egypt. Unsurprisingly, it is now found in homes across the world, especially among certain demographics of rich people. Arabian peninsula and United States anybody? It is not a common pet, but not ultra rare either. You may find the last part either intriguing or scary. Despite being friendlier than some other cats, they are wild powerful animals that require special diets, lots of exercise, and stimulation. If these conditions are met, then they are good pets animals. How about you stick with a serval? Then again, I have no say in what rich people with lots of meat and space will buy. If Cheetahs did not require so much space and meat, they could have been domesticated from long time. Nevertheless, people of the modern times are apparently working on that. There are many colour mutations lurking in the Cheetah’s DNA. Spotless cheetahs, pale cheetahs, super spotted cheetahs, white cheetahs, black cheetahs, cheating cheetahs, and many more. The latter will not actually happen. Did you catch that? Have you read this far? Good reader!
Grizzly Bear
Sometimes a stuffed teddy bear just is not enough. So what do you do when a big teddy bear just does not satisfy you? You get a real teddy bear! Except that I absolutely do not actually recommend doing that. I mean, if you are absolutely experienced, and have the right property and safety protocol in place, then it is your choice. But remember that they have not been domesticated yet for a reason: large, extremely powerful, and require kilograms of meat every day. Sounds familiar? Because these are the exact same things holding back a lot of carnivores from faster domestication. But what if we did successfully domesticate the grizzly bear? I can honestly see them being fairly popular pets. They are highly trainable, affectionate, and you guessed it: soft and very furry. And unlike cats and dogs that are overwhelmingly carnivores, the grizzly bear is actually an omnivore, making them easier and more flexible to feed. They would be available in blonde, blue, silver, black, grey, and pied colour mutations, I predict.
Red Panda
Red pandas are super cute! Why have we not domesticated these raccoon-fox-cat-looking furry cuties? Nobody bothered to. They are not large, so brutally mauling is out of the equation. And also, despite being a “Carnivora” animal, they are actually mostly herbivorous. They eat mainly bamboo, but can eat other things as well. In their present wild state, they do not make good pets due to them being fearful of humans, and even aggressive in some cases. Their sharp claws and spraying does not help, though some suggest that trimming the claws, and neutering or spaying would easily fix those 2 issues. I do not know what to say about the genital removing part, but the nail trimming part absolutely makes sense, and is certain not to cause complications. So, what if we domesticated the Red Panda? It would be hyper popular in Asia, as it is already a major icon portrayed on products and in the media. It would also be seen in a lot of homes in Europe and North America as well. I predict mainly red, white, and blonde colour mutations, but black, grey, and silver are also possibilities.
Giant Panda
What is an animal that is even more iconic than the red panda? The giant panda. And no, the 2 are not closely related. Both are apart of the Carnivora order, and eat mainly bamboo. Similarities more or less end there. Because they are critically endangered and have an extremely small population, domesticating the giant panda would take many generations. Small numbers aside, a domesticated panda would not require 20-40 kilograms of bamboo a day. It would have a much more flexible diet, be far friendlier, and more manageable among humans. And importantly, it would not be so difficult to breed. Because of these present issues, I would no be surprised if takes a millennium to get the panda domesticated. Maybe that might be a bit of a stretch. If we did domesticate the panda, without a doubt, it will be a hyper popular pet in Asia, especially China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. I guess I should include India, too.
Striped Skunk
Unlike nearly every mammal on this list, skunks are actually good pets. Even though they are not even domesticated, they apparently do well, if properly taken care of and are trained. In some places, they even go as far as classifying them as normal pets. In most domesticated situations, the scent gland is removed from a very young age. The United Kingdom stands out as being a country that has banned this practice since 2006. Why? Some say it is cruel, others say it is not. The British are on the side that says this practice is cruel. Is it really? This is a relatively simple and safe procedure. The major reason why people insist it is cruel, is because it is the skunk’s major form of defence. This makes sense for wild skunks. For captive skunks, there is no reason for it to be the there, especially since you are not allowed to release them anyway. Well for most Canadians, and most Americans, laws prohibit the ownership, unfortunately. Canada does not even want you keeping domestically bred skunks in most places. If we domesticated the skunk, what would change? For one thing, I can see domesticated skunks losing their scent gland, since they no longer have to fend off predators. More stripes and colours would predictable come out.
Three-toed sloth
They are cute and look like monkeys with long claws. But they can also smell and have very specialized requirements, hence why the neither the Indigenous nor newcomers bothered to domesticated them. The interest in buying and owning a pet sloth has risen in popularity, and some American states even allow you to keep them. Good idea for most? No. The species naturally hates being held, touched, or being around people. If we domesticated the three-toed sloth, they will enjoy using you as their tree to hug or climb on. Some captive-bred sloth already do this, so continual breeding for traits of tolerance and a more flexible diet will allow these long-clawed creatures to make for a neat pet. Colour mutations? I am not too sure about this one. Light brown, dark brown, grey, albino and blonde, I suppose.
Nine-banded armadillo
The armadillo has a very interesting appearance. It looks like 3 animals, perhaps 4, in 1 one body. A mouse, mole, pangolin, and turtle is what I would say. Now what is the deal with keeping nine-banded armadillos presently? Due to them being musky, nocturnal diggers, this makes them unsuitable to many people. It also does not help that they are banned in a lot of states, due to the fact that they can transit leprosy. That is if they catch it in the first place, though. A normal, healthy armadillo will not just pop out leprosy like that. If we were to domesticate the nine-banded armadillo, it would be a diurnal, non-musky, friendly pet that loves both outdoors and indoors. Colours? Grey, brown, pink, and black. I am not sure if anything other than that would be possible to come out of it. Domestication can bring forth interesting surprises though, so maybe something like white with blonde polka dots might not be all that farfetched. They are unusual creatures after all.
Squirrel Monkey
Even though they are one of the most common pet monkeys available, experts will be quick to tell you that they do not make good pets for obvious reasons. Why? They are highly active, social animals with complex needs. And they are super destructive. Nevertheless, that clearly has not stopped a lot of monkey lovers from getting them, even when the owner does not provide the best care. That can cause them to really suffer. So, what if we were to fix this by domesticating the squirrel monkey? Could we potentially make a new “man’s best friend?” after all, monkeys are smarter, have hands, and are far more agile. This all sounds good on paper, but why was it not done millennia ago? Good question. If you ask me, I would say that it is because some animals then were easier for ancient peoples. Others, like monkeys, are too complex. That is the biggest advantage modernity has over the past. We get to see what worked in the past, what did not, plus access to far more advanced research facilities and tools. If the squirrel monkey were to become domesticated, it would essential be like having a young child for 20 years. However, upon further research, I learned that a domesticated monkey is 99% not going to happen. Aside from being messy, destructive wild animals, the fact they catch and spread the same diseases as humans, is another critical pain point that will prohibit domestication. If by some fantastical chance they become domesticated, I predict that they will be available in brown, grey, black, and blonde, with possibilities of speckles, spots, and streaks of those colours.
Golden Lion Tamarin
According to YPTE, the golden lion tamarin has been kept as a pet since the 1600s. Wow. Does this mean that it makes a good pet? No, it has not been consecutively bred for traits that make it a suitable house pet. In fact, zookeeper describes his experience in this quote: “They can be sweet, smart and charming, then turn temperamental, sassy, shy or hardheaded in an instant”. So unless one plans to provide lots of enrichment, socialization and the right food, it is daunting to keep them as pets. Yes, they are cute ginger monkeys, but are also an endangered species that was apparently about to go extinct. They were saved from a variety of conservation and zoological breeding efforts, so captivity in the right hands certainly has its use. Upon domestication, the golden lion tamarin would essential be like a child who cannot talk. It would make for an very useful animal capable of performing a variety of things. Would it still be “golden” though? Yes, but it would also come in other colours like possible richer reds, duller reds, maybe even brown, black and some others. As sternly mentioned under the squirrel monkey’s entry, domesticated primates cannot actually happen: they are too smart, too wild, and share too many of the same diseases as humans.
African Wild Dog
It is furry. It is a carnivore. It is cute. Somebody — or some people have and are keeping them at pets. You should know by now. Just to clarify for those who may not know, the African Wild Dog, despite what the names suggests, is not a captive dog that has turned wild. In fact, despite being called “dog” they are not even in the same genus. Case in point: Lycaon pictus is its scientific name, while the dog is Canis lupus familiaris. The African Wild Dog is indeed a canine, but a different kind of canine. So if the the African Wild Dog is essentially “Africa’s Wolf” why has it not been domesticated? There are even numerous Quora and Reddit threads asking this question as to why this uniquely coloured canine has not allowed us put stylish collars or leashes on them, or even better — dress them up! The answer is said to be that Africa’s environment has made them more stubborn and hostile than even a grey a wolf. That has not stopped some Africans from keeping them as pets though, as well as other adventurous people abroad. Owning one is like a owning a smaller, multicoloured wolf. If that sounds dangerous, it is because it certainly is. But what if we domesticated the African Wild Dog? Given the sheer diversity that came out of the grey wolf, I would say that there is a ton that can come out of the African Wild Dog. And because it is already naturally colourful for a mammal, this means that if it had been domesticated for millennia, it would probably have even more breeds to come out of it than the grey wolf.
Aardvark
The Set Animal? Better not paint your face blue or your pet Aardvark that you so daringly named Set, could murder you! No, that will not actually happen, thankfully. Confused about reference? Ok, you better not get a peregrine falcon either, or your Aardvark and falcon will be fierce rivals! There, that is much better. Now onto pet aardvarks. Except that they are almost never kept as pets due to them not being cute enough, are nocturnal, need to dig a lot, and have a diet that consists predominantly of ants and termites. “But hey! I have so much ants in my backyard that an aardvark would be great for me!” No, you would run out. So if we were to domesticate the Aardvark, it would need to be much more comfortable around humans, be active during the day, and not be so destructive with its penchant for digging. And of course, it will need to readily accept a variety of feeder insects, fruits and vegetables. I do not know what colours to predict for the Set animal. Grey, black, and brown, I suppose. You know what? I can actually see some breeders creating a breed with a lot of fur, so there may be more options than I realize. I can say that a domesticated Aardvark would make a phenomenal companion for detecting things in the soil.
Okapi
Deer, zebra, donkey, and giraffe. An okapi bears resemblance to all of those simultaneously, making it an oddly unique, yet good-looking animal. Is it domesticated? No. Does it make a good pet? Aside from zoos, there does not seem to be much information on people who keep them as pets. I can safely assume that it is because there is very little interest and demand. And despite being an herbivorous ruminant, it is mostly solitary. So perhaps if you have a large backyard or even better a farm, and the right climate, keeping it captive might not be too hard. The hard part is that because it is endangered, getting a hold of one is extremely expensive and difficult. Now what would happen if we domesticated this stripey giraffe? For sure, there would be breeds intended for consumption. It is a herbivore and a ruminant, so that is a given. But because we already have cattle, goats, and sheep, that could explain why there is little incentive to try and domesticate it. Unlike cute, furry carnivores, mankind does not have as big of an interest in increasing the list of domestic herbivores. But, if there were to be a breed of okapi that is predominantly white with black stripes, interest in the okapi would surge. It would look like a zebra, but without the nasty attitude. Well, that is assuming the zebra is not domesticated by then. Between the 2 animals, people are clearly more fascinated with the zebra.
Invertebrates
This section is going to be very brief, because I do not have such a great interest in invertebrates for the most part. We have the silk worm and the honey bee as 2 notable examples of domesticated invertebrates. There are plenty of others kept as pets like arachnids, gastropods, and crabs to name a few.
Roman Snail
This snail has been eaten from the times of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. You probably either licked your lips thinking about escargot, are annoyed about people eating snails, or indifferent. Now despite the Roman snail being eaten and bred for so long, the Europeans for some reason, have not gone as far as creating full-blown domesticated Roman snail. One that is even larger, breeds in greater quantities, and handles better. The Roman snails now are the same as the Roman snails then. Why? Nobody cared enough about eating or keeping them as pets to make them domesticated. They were fine with the Roman snail as is. But what if the Roman snail were domesticated? I do not see it changing in colour, but its size and fecundity would change. It should also be noted to those that are not familiar, that a lot of people do now keep them as pets, though there is probably more people that eat them than keep them.
Giant Tiger Land Snail
The largest land snail in the world! Despite this, you will not see this species as commonly served escargot. Unless you are in Africa, particularly the Western part. Outside of Africa, people would prefer to keep these as pets. Except there is a problem right there: it is prohibited in many regions out of fear of it potentially becoming a pest that can also spread disease. While the pest part is understandable in tropical places, the disease part is only a risk to people that eat or handle infected specimens. Seeing as though it is a common pet in some places, and it even has an albino morph, what would domestication do to the Giant African Land Snail? Perhaps more morphs, but it probably would not make it larger, unless significant efforts for genetic breeding diversity are made. This is because captive snails’ sizes are greatly reduced if they are inbred or poorly cared for. I predict that domestication will create more shell patterns and colours. We may also see brown-skinned, and ivory-skinned snails. Presently, they are often grey, or grey-brown.
Blue Land Crab
A pet blue crab. Cardisoma guanhumi to be specific. Probably not something on much peoples’ radar, but what if it were even bluer, richer, and more impressive? If we were to domesticate the giant blue land crab, it is a safe bet that there would be a lot of colour mutations in various richer shades of blue. Perhaps we might even see something really exotic like sapphire with white polka dots. Crustaceans may not be super popular pets, but if they regularly came in shades of sapphire or sky blues, then you will see more than just invertebrate enthusiasts considering one for a pet. And importantly, a domesticated crab would not be inclined to pinch you or raise their pincers at you. They would enjoy handling. A blue beauty with an attitude that bites will not go well with many people.
Purple Land Crab
There are several purple land crabs, but the species here I am talking about is Gecarcoidea lalandii. What is so special about this crab? It is big and purple. Its habitat is the Adaman Islands and surrounding area, meaning that a lot of people probably have ran into a purple crab at some point. So why has this purple beauty not captured locals’ attention to make it a fairly common pet? Is is because they would probably rather eat it or run away from it, or are simply indifferent to it. Now there are some care guides, so it is kept, but not domesticated. If we domesticated the purple land crab, there would be richly purple morphs, combinations of purples, and even different colours altogether. And of course, it would enjoy being handled, and not be skittish or feisty about it.
Atlas Moth
With a lifespan of 7 to 14 days as an adult, it will not ever become a widely popular pet. As beautiful and impressive as it looks, many people would be turned off from the severely short lifespan. Then again, people never domesticated the silk moth for companionship. They domesticated it for 2 reasons: silk and food. Therefore, if we were to domesticate the atlas moth, it would be done to serve as an alternative to the domestic silk moth, Bombyx mori. In fact, the atlas moth is already being bred for that purpose, so perhaps we may see domesticated atlas moths in the short term. I certainly would not be interested in eating them, though. Though domestication often brings out colourful mutations in most animals, this was not the case with the silk moth. In fact, it actually lost its colours upon domestication, but did become much more useful for silk production, and is friendly. Does this mean that the atlas moth would lost its vibrancy? Not necessarily, since they are not even in the same genus.
Fish
Does it seem fishy that I do not have much fish I want to talk about? Hopefully not. I know there are literally millions of cool fish out there, but I am not too interested in fish in general. 2 common domesticated species are the goldfish and koi, coming from the Prussian carp and Amur Carp respectively. Similarly to reptiles, it seems as though domestication really brings out intense colours from fish. When I took a look at the Amur and Prussian carps, then look at their domesticated counterparts, I find it shocking how so much colour diveristy could come from such dull-looking fish. Therefore, I will have to set the bar high when making predictions for the colour mutations of the fish I discuss.
Atlantic Salmon
This fish has been apparently farmed for decades. And I have also discovered that wild salmon are even different from the farmed Atlantic Salmon. So yes, the Atlantic Salmon has been domesticated for the purposes of being eaten. I am not well versed in the issue of farmed versus wild salmon. Instead I would like to talk about predictions for colours. You see, when people think about pet fish, would salmon ever be the first thing to come to mind? Almost certainly not. Based on what I have briefly researched, it may not even be legal in some places, and they are not easy to keep. Therefore, if we were to domesticate another breed of Atlantic salmon to serve as a better pet fish, it will need to have less intricate care requirements, and enjoy human company. Colours? Being grey and spotty in their natural form, with hues of greens, pinks, and brown on some specimens, there are many colour morphs possibly lurking in the Atlantic Salmon’s DNA.
Atlantic cod
Another fish that is overwhelmingly viewed as food. In fact, there is probably less than 1% of people keeping Atlantic cod as a pet. Silmilarly to the Atlantic Salmon, the domestic Atlantic cod have higher growth rates, to make them more suitable for eating and breeding. If the Atlantic cod were domesticated for pets, there would need to be smaller, and more colourful breeds. The Atlantic cod in its main form, is drab and large. Not a problem for people with the space and resources, but would be problematic for many others who do not. Red, pink, brown, white, yellows, spots, or streaks are the colours I predict for this species.
Great barracuda
Depending on your personality, you will either be thrilled or frightened at the idea of keeping a large, predatory ray-finned fish that can sometimes reach a size of 150 centimetres! It is usually 60 to 90cm, but exceeding a metre can happen. These fish can actually be purchased live to be kept as pets, but you do not need to read anything online to tell you that they are not a domesticated species. People do eat them, but even that has its dangers due to the fact that larger great barracudas can be toxic to eat. In terms of personality, it is apparently a myth that they are all vicious. The reality is that some are mean, some are shy, and some are even curious. Therefore, if we were to domesticate the great barracuda, all the breeds intended for use as pets must be friendly, and perhaps smaller and more manageable. I predict that they will come in blues, greys, blacks, browns, greens, and yes, even reds. I would not even be too surprised if a barracuda breed simultaneously had all of those colours!
Millennium River 
