Studying Animal Science
Introduction to the Animal Sciences
Chapter One
What is Agriculture?
• Anything to do with plants, animals, and
natural resources.
Then, what is the study of agriculture?
• To study how these three relate to human life
in benefit or not through management
practices.
What is animal science?
• Branch of science that deals with domestic
animals.
Domestic animals- species under human control
Where did domestication start?
It is said…
135,000 years ago the wolf was domesticated
leading to the dog domestication around
14,000 years ago.
The earliest domesticated food was sheep.
So who was the first to domesticate
these wolves?
Hunters & Gatherers.
They used meat, bones, and skins before.
…after domestication they could use animals for
milk, clothing, power, war, sport, and prestige
This transitioned hunters and gatherers into
farmers.
Why have we domesticated these
livestock instead of continuing to
hunt?
• Now the livestock are a renewable resource.
We use the specialties to study how to use
them more efficiently!
Specialties in animal science are…
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Genetics
Nutrition
Physiology (Working biologically)
Animal Health
Ethology (behavior)
Meat Science
Dairy product science
Biotechnology
Why is meat an important food
source?
• Meat, eggs, and dairy products are nutrient
dense.
Nutrient dense- a measurement of the nutrients
provided in a food compared to the calories it
contains.
Not only can we eat the animals…
• We have become accustomed to using animals
to make are lives easier through draft,
research, by-products, companionship,
entertainment, etc.
What does the future hold?
We are going through a livestock revolution.
- Livestock needs will double by 2050.
As well as a green revolution.
- The need for cereal grains, which began
in the 1960s and it credited with saving
millions of lives and building many national
economies.
Assignment
• Read Chapter 1
• Answer the following questions:4, 8, 12, 13,
19