Animal Domestication in North America

 The Turkey In Chapter 4 (p. 71) you learned that, apart from dogs, there were no potential animal domesticates in North American 10,000 years ago. If you read closely, you would realize that what your book meant was that there were no potential mammals that were suitable for domestication. The wild turkey is native to much of the eastern and southwestern US, northern Mexico and southeastern Canada. Archaeological evidence for turkey domestication includes turkeys located outside of their natural habitats and the construction of pens, as well as evidence of populations with differential numbers of males vs. females represented by the bones left at a site (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. You can find a general summary of information here: http://archaeology.about.com/od/tterms/qt/turkey.htm (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. And here’s a summary & discussion of the genetic evidence in a well-illustrated blog post. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Before taking this class, had you ever considered the complex histories that food we eat went through before becoming our meals? What are some surprising things that you have learned in this class about the history of the foods you eat? Are you thinking that this year’s Thanksgiving dinner might look a bit different to you?