cat

The cat (Felis catus) is a small carnivorous mammal.^[1][2] It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and often referred to as the domestic cat to distinguish it from wild members of the family.^[4] The cat is either a house cator a farm cat, which are pets, or a feral cat, which ranges freely and avoids human contact.^[5] A house cat is valued by humans for companionship and for its ability to hunt rodents. About 60 cat breeds are recognized by various cat registries.^[6]

Cats are similar in anatomy to the other felid species, with a strong flexible body, quick reflexes, sharp teeth and retractable claws adapted to killing small prey. They are predators who are most active at dawn and dusk (crepuscular). Cats can hear sounds too faint or too high in frequency for human ears, such as those made by mice and other small animals. Compared to humans, they see better in the dark (they see in near total darkness) and have a better sense of smell, but poorer color vision. Cats, despite being solitary hunters, are a social species. Cat communication includes the use of vocalizations including meowing, purring, trilling, hissing, growling and grunting as well as cat-specific body language.^[7] Cats also communicate by secreting and perceiving pheromones.^[8]

Female domestic cats can have kittens from spring to late autumn, with litter sizes ranging from two to five kittens.^[9]Domestic cats can be bred and shown as registered pedigreed cats, a hobby known as cat fancy. Failure to control the breeding of pet cats by spaying and neutering, as well as abandonment of pets, has resulted in large numbers of feral cats worldwide, contributing to the extinction of entire bird species, and evoking population control.^[10]

It was long thought that cat domestication was initiated in Egypt, because cats in ancient Egypt were venerated since around 3100 BC.^[11][12] However, the earliest indication for the taming of an African wildcat (F. lybica) was found inCyprus, where a cat skeleton was excavated close by a human Neolithic grave dating to around 7500 BC.^[13] African wildcats were probably first domesticated in the Near East.^[14] The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) was tamedindependently in China around 5500 BC, though this line of partially domesticated cats leaves no trace in the domestic cat populations of today.^[15][16]

As of 2017, the domestic cat was the second-most popular pet in the U.S. by number of pets owned, after freshwater fish,^[17] with 95 million cats owned.^[18][19] In the United Kingdom, around 7.3 million cats lived in more than 4.8 million households as of 2019.^[20] In 1965, the country's cat population was 4.1 million.^[21]

camel

A camel is an even-toed ungulate in the genus Camelus that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provide food (milk and meat) and textiles (fiber and felt from hair). As working animals, camels—which are uniquely suited to their desert habitats—are a vital means of transport for passengers and cargo. There are three surviving species of camel. The one-humped dromedary makes up 94% of the world's camel population, and the two-humped Bactrian camel makes up the remainder. The Wild Bactrian camel is a separate species and is now critically endangered.
The word camel is derived via Latin: camelus and Greek: κάμηλος (kamēlos) from Hebrew or Phoenician: gāmāl.^[4][5] Used informally, "camel" (or, more correctly, "camelid") refers to any of the seven members of the family Camelidae: the dromedary, the Bactrian, and the wild Bactrian (the true camels), plus the llama, the alpaca, the guanaco, and the vicuña^[6] (the "New World" camelids).
The dromedary (C. dromedarius), also known as the Arabian camel, inhabits the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, while the Bactrian (C. bactrianus) inhabits Central Asia, including the historical region of Bactria. The critically endangered wild Bactrian (C. ferus) is found only in remote areas of northwest China and Mongolia. An extinct species of camel^[7] in the separate genus Camelops, known as C. hesternus,^[8] lived in western North America until humans entered the continent at 

sheep

Domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like most ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the namesheep applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries. Numbering a little over one billion, domestic sheep are also the most numerous species of sheep. An adult female sheep is referred to as a ewe (/juː/), an intact male as a ram or occasionally a tup, a castrated male as a wether, and a younger sheep as a lamb.

Sheep are most likely descended from the wild mouflon of Europe and Asia. One of the earliest animals to be domesticated for agricultural purposes, sheep are raised for fleeces, meat (lamb, hogget or mutton) and milk. A sheep's wool is the most widely used animal fiber, and is usually harvested by shearing. Ovine meat is called lamb when from younger animals and mutton when from older ones in Commonwealth countries, and lamb in the United States (including from adults). Sheep continue to be important for wool and meat today, and are also occasionally raised for pelts, as dairy animals, or as model organisms for science.
Sheep husbandry is practised throughout the majority of the inhabited world, and has been fundamental to many civilizations. In the modern era, Australia, New Zealand, the southern and central South American nations, and the British Isles are most closely associated with sheep production.
Sheepraising has a large lexicon of unique terms which vary considerably by region and dialect. Use of the word sheep began in Middle English as a derivation of the Old English word scēap; it is both the singular and plural name for the animal. A group of sheep is called a flock, herd or mob. Many other specific terms for the various life stages of sheep exist, generally related to lambing, shearing, and age.
Being a key animal in the history of farming, sheep have a deeply entrenched place in human culture, and find representation in much modern language and symbology. As livestock, sheep are most often associated with pastoral, Arcadian imagery. Sheep figure in many mythologies—such as the Golden Fleece—and major religions, especially the Abrahamic traditions. In both ancient and modern religious ritual, sheep are used as sacrificial animals. 

rabbit

A domestic or domesticated rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)—more commonly known as a pet

rabbit, a bunny, or a bunny rabbit—is a species of European rabbit. A domestic rabbit kept as a pet may be considered a pocket pet, depending on its size. A male rabbit is known as a buck, a female is a doe, and a young rabbit is a kit, or kitten.
Rabbits were first exploited by the Romans as sources of food and fur, and have been kept as pets in Western nations since the 19th century.^[1] Beginning in the 1980s, the idea of the domestic rabbit as a house companion, a so-called house rabbit, was promoted. Rabbits can be litter box-trained and may come when called, but they need exercise and can damage a house that is not "rabbit proof." Unwanted rabbits end up in animal shelters, especially after the Easter season.^[2] Because they have become invasive in Australia, pet rabbits are banned in the state of Queensland.^[3]

Llama

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For other uses, see Llama (disambiguation).

The llama (/ˈlɑːmə/; Spanish pronunciation: [ˈʎama]) (Lama glama) is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since the Pre-Columbian era.

A full-grown llama can reach a height of 1.7 to 1.8 m (5 ft 7 in to 5 ft 11 in) at the top of the head, and can weigh between 130 and 200 kg (290 and 440 lb). At birth, a baby llama (called a cria) can weigh between 9 and 14 kg (20 and 31 lb). Llamas typically live for 15 to 25 years, with some individuals surviving 30 years or more.^[2][3][4]
They are very social animals and live with other llamas as a herd. The wool produced by a llama is very soft and lanolin-free. Llamas are intelligent and can learn simple tasks after a few repetitions. When using a pack, they can carry about 25 to 30% of their body weight for 8 to 13 km (5–8 miles).^[5]
The name llama (in the past also spelled 'lama' or 'glama') was adopted by European settlers from native Peruvians.^[6]
Llamas appear to have originated from the central plains of North America about 40 million years ago. They migrated to South America about three million years ago during the Great American Interchange. By the end of the last ice age (10,000–12,000 years ago), camelids were extinct in North America.^[5] As of 2007, there were over seven million llamas and alpacas in South America, and due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 158,000 llamas and 100,000 alpacas in the United States and Canada.^[7