2.  The small animals discussed in this course are domesticated animals or pets, owned by the human population.  Domestic = living near or about human habitations  Dog = Canine  Cat = Feline  Rabbits  Birds  Fish

3.  Dogs are believed to be the first animals domesticated  Two Theories of canine domestication: - Evolved from canine ancestor known as a Pariah Dog (semi-feral dogs that live close to towns and scavenge for food). OR - Domestication from wolves.

4.  Domestication from wolves… › About 15,000 years ago › Asia or China were the first › When a wolf was killed by humans the pups were bought back to civilization  Used for: herding, hunting, watch, companions  Cat’s association with humans dates back to about 3,500 years ago as denoted by the Egyptian tombs.

5.  Pet Ownership is at an all-time high!!! (2010)  59.5% of all American Families have at least one companion animal (that’s 68.7 million households)  Cats > Dogs

6.  In 2010: › 81.7 million cats (32.4% of households) (average of 2.0 cats per owner) › 72 million dogs (37.2% of households) › 11.2 million birds › 6.1 million rabbits › 1.2 million hamsters › 76 million fish

7.  Taxonomy: -the science of naming and classifying organisms  Aristotle was credited as the first philosopher to begin attempts at classifying organisms based on their structural similarities.  Linnaeus’s System of Classification – classifies organisms by seven categories (taxa).

8. Linnaeus’s System of Classification:  Kingdom  Phylum  Class  Order  Family  Genus  Species