A feral horse (an American mustang) in Wyoming

A feral animal or plant is one that has escaped from domestication and returned, partly or wholly, to its wild state. Rarely will the environment have evolved to accommodate the feral organism into its established ecology. Therefore, feral animals and plants can cause disruption or extinction to some indigenous species, reducing the pristine quality of wilderness and other fragile ecosystems. Galloping Wild Wyoming Horse Photo Source: http://www. ... Galloping Wild Wyoming Horse Photo Source: http://www. ... Free-roaming mustangs (Utah, 2005) Mustangs at the Palomino Valley Adoption Center A mustang is a small, hardy, free-roaming horse of the North American west, descendant of Spanish conquistador horses. ... Domesticated animals, plants, and other organisms are those whose collective behavior, life cycle, or physiology has been altered as a result of their breeding and living conditions being under human control for multiple generations. ... This article is about biological evolution. ... Ernst Haeckel coined the term oekologie in 1866. ... The Dodo, shown here in illustration, is an often-cited[1] example of extinction. ... The word indigenous is an adjective derived from the Latin word indigena, meaning native, belonging to, aboriginal; and has several applications: Indigenous peoples, communities and cultures native or indigenous to a territory; Indigenous (band), a Native American blues-rock band; In biology, indigenous means native to a place or biota... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... An ecosystem, a contraction of ecological and system, refers to the collection of components and processes that comprise, and govern the behavior of, some defined subset of the biosphere. ...

Definitions

Next to the meaning of the word feral described here, from Latin fera, "a wild beast", the word has a second unrelated meaning, from Latin feralis, "belonging to the dead", "funereal". ^[1]

Animals

Soay sheep, St Kilda in Scotland ; The sheep stock of this tiny island has been occasionally hunted rather than bred for many centuries.

A feral animal is one that has reverted from the domesticated state to a stable condition more or less resembling the wild. A FOG is a Feral Dog Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1365, 271 KB) Soay sheep. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1365, 271 KB) Soay sheep. ... Soay Sheep are a breed of sheep descended from a population of feral sheep on the Isle of Soay. ... Alternate use: Saint Kilda, island in Scotland. ... Motto: , traditionally rendered in Scots as Wha daur meddle wi me?[1] and in English as No one provokes me with impunity. ... Phyla Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Myxozoa (slime animals) Superphylum Deuterostomia (blastopore becomes anus) Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ...

Plants

Domesticated plants that revert to wild are usually referred to as escaped, introduced, or naturalized. However, the adaptive and ecological variables seen in plants that go wild closely resemble those of animals. u fuck in ua ...

Variables

Susceptibility

Certain familiar animals go feral easily and successfully, while others are much less inclined to wander and usually fail promptly outside domestication.

Degree

Some species will detach readily from humans and pursue their own devices, but do not stray far or spread readily. Others depart and are gone, seeking out new territory or range to exploit and displaying active invasiveness. A territory (from the word terra, meaning land) is a defined area (including land and waters), usually considered to be a possession of an animal, person, organization, or institution. ...

Persistence

Whether they leave readily and venture far, the ultimate criterion for success is longevity. Persistence depends on their ability to establish themselves and reproduce reliably in the new environment.

Tenure of Domestication

Neither the duration nor the intensity with which a species has been domesticated offers a useful correlation with its feral potential. Linear correlations between 1000 pairs of numbers. ...

Examples of Feral Animals

• The goat is one of the oldest domesticated creatures, yet readily goes feral and does quite well on its own.

• The dromedary camel, which has been domesticated for well over 3,000 years, will also readily go feral. A substantial population of feral dromedaries, descended from pack animals that escaped in the 19th and early 20th centuries, thrives in the Australian interior today.

• Also in Australia, the introduction of rabbits for sport led to an explosive growth in population, and rabbits are now a major pest in Australia.

• The cat returns readily to a feral state if it has not been socialized properly in its young life. See:-Feral cats. These cats, especially if left to proliferate, are frequently considered to be pests in populated neighborhoods, and may be blamed for devastating the bird population and digging up people's gardens. They do help keep rodent populations down, especially in rural areas. A local population of feral cats living in an urban area and using a common food source is sometimes called a feral cat colony. Feral cats multiply quickly and it is difficult to control population. Animal shelters attempt to adopt out feral cats, especially kittens, but often are overwhelmed with sheer numbers and euthanasia is used. In rural areas, excessive numbers of feral cats are often shot. More recently, the "Trap-Neuter-Return" method has been used in many locations as a means of humanely managing the feral cat population.

• Sheep are close contemporaries and cohorts of goats in the history of domestication, but the domestic sheep is quite vulnerable to predation and injury, and thus rarely if ever is seen in a feral state.

• Cattle have been domesticated since the neolithic era, but can do well enough on open range for months or even years with little or no supervision. Their ancestors, the Aurochs were quite fierce, on par with the modern Cape Buffalo. Modern cattle, especially those raised on open range, are generally more docile, but when threatened can display aggression. Although cattle, particularly those raised for beef, are often allowed to roam quite freely, they failed to establish long term independence, with, arguably the possible exception of the Longhorn and Brahman breeds, which have small populations of semi-feral animals roaming the southwestern United States and northern Mexico that, while technically owned by someone, have never actually been caught. Such cattle are sometimes called Mavericks. However, most cattle, however untamed, are generally too valuable not to be eventually rounded up and recovered.

• The horse, domesticated ca. 5000 B.C., is feral in open grasslands worldwide, but most notably in Spain, where such animals are called Sorraia, in Australia, where they are called Brumbies, and in the Americas, where they are called Mustangs. They are also often referred to as "wild horses," but this is a misnomer, as they are feral. There are also truly "wild" horses that have never been tamed, most notably Przewalski's Horse. While the horse was originally indigenous to North America, the wild ancestor died out at the end of the last Ice Age. In both Australia and the Americas, modern "wild" horses descended from domesticated horses brought by European explorers and settlers that escaped, spread, and thrived.

Feral donkeys or burros in Nevada

• The pig was free-ranged with other animals by pioneers and settlers. Across the Southern tier and Mid-western regions of North America there are multiple highly tenacious populations descendant from escapees, mixed in places with released wild European swine. They have been hunted, shot on sight, tracked with dogs, trapped and even poisoned. Likewise in Europe, the French harvest about 10,000 swine per year as wild game (also possibly mixed wild-feral), and recently a large city park within urban Paris was disrupted and closed for months while wildlife officials struggled to evict, shoot or trap a boar that had claimed the refuge for his own.

• Pigeons were formerly kept for their meat.

• Dogs can revert to wildness, becoming predators little less effective than the Big Cats of like size. In Antarctica, dogs abandoned at the end of explorations survived by preying upon penguins. Feral dogs often lack the fear of humans that wild wolves show; their cunning, power, size, strength, and agility make them destructive of livestock and dangerous to humans. Feral dogs also played a key role in the extinction of the lion in Europe.

• Colonies of honeybees have been occasionally known to expand beyond domesticated apiaries.

Species See Species and subspecies The goat is a mammal in the genus Capra, which consists of nine species: the Ibex, the West Caucasian Tur, the East Caucasian Tur, the Markhor, and the Wild Goat. ... Binomial name Camelus dromedarius Linnaeus, 1758 The Dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) is a large even-toed ungulate native to northern Africa and western Asia, and is the best-known member of the camel family. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Larval form of some beetle is damaging specimen of Sceliphron destillatorius in entomogical collection. ... Look up CAT, cat, Cat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up CAT, cat, Cat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Orders Many - see section below. ... Suborders Sciuromorpha Castorimorpha Myomorpha Anomaluromorpha Hystricomorpha Rodentia is an order of mammals (Mammalia). ... A Feral cat colony is a population (or clowder) of feral domestic cats (not to be confused with wild cats). ... Euthanasia (Greek, good death) is the practice of killing a human or other animal, in a painless or minimally painful way, for merciful reasons, usually to end suffering. ... Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), also known as Trap-Test-Vaccinate-Alter-Release (TTVAR), is a method being promoted as a humane alternative to euthanasia for managing and reducing feral cat populations. ... Species See text. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (often called cows in vernacular and contemporary usage, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... An array of Neolithic artefacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools Excavated dwellings at Skara Brae Scotland, Europes most complete Neolithic village. ... Trinomial name Bos primigenius primigenius (Bojanus, 1827) Bos primigenius namadicus (Falconer, 1859) Bos primigenius mauretanicus (Thomas, 1881) See Ur (rune) for the rune. ... Species Syncerus caffer Subspecies Syncerus is a genus of bovines found in Africa, the only extant member of which is the African Buffalo, or Cape Buffalo. ... Longhorn may refer to: Highland cattle, sometimes called Highland longhorn Longhorn cattle, a traditional long horned brown and white breed of cattle Texas longhorn (cattle), a breed of cattle Windows Server Longhorn, the former working name of an upcoming server operating system from Microsoft Windows Vista, the replacement for the... Bos indica bull, likely a crossbreed, but showing Brahman physical characteristics Paxville, South Carolina The Brahman breed of cattle originated from the Bos indicus cattle originally brought to the US from India. ... Look up maverick in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... The Sorraia is an ancient type of primative horse from Spain and Portugal, that has influenced many light modern horse breeds. ... A brumby is a wild (feral) horse in Australia. ... Free-roaming mustangs (Utah, 2005) Mustangs at the Palomino Valley Adoption Center A mustang is a small, hardy, free-roaming horse of the North American west, descendant of Spanish conquistador horses. ... Binomial name Equus ferus Boddaert, 1785 Subspecies Equus ferus ferus Equus ferus przewalskii The Wild Horse (Equus ferus) is a member of the Horse genus and was found in Europe and Asia. ... Trinomial name Equus ferus przewalskii (Poliakov, 1881) Przewalskis Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii or sometimes ), pronounced in English as //, also known as the Mongolian Wild Horse, or Takhi, is the closest living relative of the Domestic Horse and is in fact the same species. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 784 KB) Photographer: VideoFrog Title: Native dwellers. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 784 KB) Photographer: VideoFrog Title: Native dwellers. ... Binomial name Equus asinus Linnaeus, 1758 For other uses, see Donkey (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Equus asinus Linnaeus, 1758 The donkey, a. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Species Sus barbatus Sus bucculentus Sus cebifrons Sus celebensis Sus domesticus Sus heureni Sus philippensis Sus salvanius Sus scrofa Sus timoriensis Sus verrucosus Pigs are ungulates native to Eurasia collectively grouped under the genus Sus within the Suidae family. ... Pigeon redirects here. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog is a mammal in the order Carnivora. ... Big cat refers to large wild felines of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe. ... Modern Genera Aptenodytes Eudyptes Eudyptula Megadyptes Pygoscelis Spheniscus For extinct genera, see Systematics Penguins (order Sphenisciformes, family Spheniscidae) are an order of aquatic, flightless birds living exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Wolf Wolf Man Mount Wolf Wolf Prizes Wolf Spider Wolf 424 Wolf 359 Wolf Point Wolf-herring Frank Wolf Friedrich Wolf Friedrich August Wolf Hugo Wolf Johannes Wolf Julius Wolf Max Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf Maximilian Wolf Rudolf Wolf Thomas Wolf As Name Wolf Breidenbach Wolf Hirshorn Other The call... Binomial name Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) Synonyms Felis leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae and one of four big cats in the genus Panthera. ... European redirects here. ... Binomial name Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758 The Western honey bee or European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a species of honey bee comprised of several subspecies or races. ...

Harmful and beneficial effects of feralization

• Ecological impact: A feral population can have a significant impact on an ecosystem by predation on vulnerable plants or animals, or by competition with indigenous species. Feral animals constitute a significant share of invasive species, and can be a threat to endangered species.
• Genetic pollution: Animals of domestic origin sometimes can produce fertile hybrids with native, wild animals. Cases include the mallard duck, wild boar, the rock dove or pigeon, the wild cock (Gallus gallus), carp, and more, recently salmon ^{[citation needed]}. Another example is the dingo, itself an early feral dog, which hybridizes with dogs of European origin. On the other hand, genetic pollution seems not to be noticed for rabbit. There is much debate over the degree to which feral hybridization compromises the purity of a wild species. In the case of the mallard, for example, some claim there are no populations which are completely free of any domestic ancestor.^{[citation needed]}
• Economic harm: Feral animals compete with domestic livestock, and may degrade fences, water sources, and vegetation (by overgrazing or introducing seeds of invasive plants). Though hotly disputed, some cite as an example the competition between feral horses and cattle in the western United States. Another example is of goats competing with cattle in Australia, or goats that degrade trees and vegation in environmentally-stressed regions of Africa. Accidental crossbreeding by feral animals may result in harm to breeding programs of pedigreed animals; their presence may also excite domestic animals and push them to escape. Feral populations can also pass on transmissible infections to domestic herds.

Rock doves --feral animals who nonetheless live in close proximity to humans

• Economic benefits: Many feral animals can sometimes be captured at little cost and thus constitute a significant resource. For example, prior to the Free-roaming Wild Horse and Burro Protection Act of 1971, American mustangs were routinely captured and sold for horsemeat. Even today, feral goats and dromedaries in Australia are often captured and exported for their meat. At certain times, some animals were sometimes deliberately left to go feral, typically on islands, in order to be later recovered for profit or food use for travelers (particularly sailors) at the end of a few years.
• Scientific value: Populations of feral animals present good sources for studies of population dynamics, and especially of ecology and behavior (ethology) in a wild state of species known mainly in a domestic state. Such observations can provide useful information for the stock breeders or other owners of the domesticated conspecifics (i.e. animals of the same species).
• Genetic diversity: Feral populations sometimes preserve or develop characteristics which do not always exist in the fully domesticated equivalent. Therefore, they contribute to domestic biodiversity and often deserve to be preserved, be it in their feral environment or as domestic animals. For example, feral species that are usually subjects of eradication in Australia or New Zealand are currently the subject of study to determine if there is a need for their preservation.
• Cultural or historic value: American mustangs have been protected since 1971 in part due to their romance and connection to the history of the American West.

Lantana Invasion of abandoned citrus plantation; Moshav Sdey Hemed, Israel; May 2, 2006 The term invasive species refers to a subset of those species defined as introduced species or non-indigenous species. ... The endangered Sea Otter An endangered species is a population of organisms (usually a taxonomic species), which because it is either (a) few in number or (b) threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters, it is at risk of becoming extinct. ... Binomial name Columba livia Gmelin, 1789 The Rock Dove (Columba livia), or feral pigeon, is a member of the bird family Columbidae, doves and pigeons. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus dingo (Meyer, 1793) Breed standards (external link) ANKC The dingo (plural dingos or dingoes), Canis lupus dingo, is a type of wild dog, probably descended from the Indian Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (669x2502, 402 KB) Photograph taken by Rama File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Feral Herding instinct Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (669x2502, 402 KB) Photograph taken by Rama File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Feral Herding instinct Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital... Binomial name Columba livia Gmelin, 1789 The Rock Dove (Columba livia), or feral pigeon, is a member of the bird family Columbidae, doves and pigeons. ... Human beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. ... Free-roaming mustangs (Utah, 2005) Mustangs at the Palomino Valley Adoption Center A mustang is a small, hardy, free-roaming horse of the North American west, descendant of Spanish conquistador horses. ...

References

1. ^ Source: Nuttall's Popular Dictionary. Pub. Fredrick Warne & Co. Ltd. London and New York.

See also

• Domestication
• Invasive species
• Feral children
• Feral (subculture)

Domesticated animals, plants, and other organisms are those whose collective behavior, life cycle, or physiology has been altered as a result of their breeding and living conditions being under human control for multiple generations. ... Lantana Invasion of abandoned citrus plantation; Moshav Sdey Hemed, Israel; May 2, 2006 The term invasive species refers to a subset of those species defined as introduced species or non-indigenous species. ... A feral child is a child who has lived isolated from human contact starting from a very young age. ... The term feral means wild. In Australian slang, a feral generally refers to a person who dresses and acts in what is seen to be an uncontrolled manner: In many instances it is a derogative form instead of the more positive Hippie. ...

External links

Note: Links that treat feral animals as a mere pest issue are the norm.

• National Wild Horse and Burro Program
• Feral Camels, Information from Australian Department of Agriculture regarding Australia's estimated 300,000 feral camels.
• Alley Cat Allies, a feral cat advocacy organization