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Animal Diets

Marks of Domestication

By K. Kris Hirst, About.com

Chickens feed at a poultry wholesale market in Chengdu of Sichuan Province, China

Chickens feed at a poultry wholesale market in Chengdu of Sichuan Province, China

China Photos / Getty Images

One of the first thing an animal owner has to figure out is what to feed her livestock. Whether sheep are pastured in a field, or a dog fed from table scraps, the diets of a domesticated animal are almost always radically changed. Archaeological evidence of this shift in diet may be identified by wear on teeth, and changes in body mass or structure.

Most recently, stable isotope analysis of bones has assisted in the identification of diets in animals.

More Signs of Domestication

Source

White, Christine D., Mary E. D. Pohl, Henry P. Schwarcz, and Fred J. Longstaffe 2005 Isotopic Evidence for Maya Patterns of Deer and Dog Use at Preclassic Colha. Journal of Archaeological Science 28(1):89-107.
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