Resurrecting The Mammoth?? Then What?

[Illia]

They're a breed of chicken called Shamos. They're an ancient breed originally from Japan, although there are others out there like Asils and Malays who also look similar, originating from areas like Thailand, India, etc.

They were originally bred for cockfighting but are now just an old breed I, among quite a few, raise and breed for the preservation and love of such an intelligent and unique chicken.

 

[EweSheep]

I bet they can outlast the dinosaurs on Jurassic Park!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

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can't help it -- those chickens are downright scary looking...

I think they are a Columbian something or other

ETA--Maybe that is Cubayana (spelling?)

 

[Laurajean]

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Well that is VERY interesting. Good for you for preserving what I'm guessing is a rare breed. Where they were originally bred for cockfighting, do they tend to have aggressive traits? Very unique and interesting.

 

[Illia]

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Well that is VERY interesting. Good for you for preserving what I'm guessing is a rare breed. Where they were originally bred for cockfighting, do they tend to have aggressive traits? Very unique and interesting.

The males are aggressive to other males, to the point of fighting them to the death if not stopped, however towards people they are the most friendly breed I've ever known! They're very brave, not skittish or flighty at all, the hens don't make the loud egg-song, and they're very much like lovesick puppies. . . Following you around, allowing you to pick them up without objection, etc.

The whole point in the breed's origin was absolute, unquestionable loyalty to the owner, yet aggression to other roosters.

They're also very broody, good moms, and extremely good at free ranging and foraging.

 

[Laurajean]

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Well that is VERY interesting. Good for you for preserving what I'm guessing is a rare breed. Where they were originally bred for cockfighting, do they tend to have aggressive traits? Very unique and interesting.

The males are aggressive to other males, to the point of fighting them to the death if not stopped, however towards people they are the most friendly breed I've ever known! They're very brave, not skittish or flighty at all, the hens don't make the loud egg-song, and they're very much like lovesick puppies. . . Following you around, allowing you to pick them up without objection, etc.

The whole point in the breed's origin was absolute, unquestionable loyalty to the owner, yet aggression to other roosters.

They're also very broody, good moms, and extremely good at free ranging and foraging.

Fascinating, really. I think I'd lean toward having only hens though, based on how you describe the male to male behavior.

 

[farmerlor]

Back to the topic; what are the chances that the cloning will actually work? As it is it's very hard to breed elephants and then of course there's the fact that elephants themselves have been driven to extinction because of loss of grazing lands and encroaching humans and poaching humans who want nothing more than tusks. So where's an animal roughly twice the size of elephants going to live and eat besides a zoo and how will we accurately observe their behavior if they're only allowed to live under lock and key?
Other than that I think it's super cool myself. It's no different than the cloning we're doing on other animals so I see it as a non-issue. I'm personally hoping that they can start cloning some of the other animals we drove to extinction like dodos and passenger pigeons....wait, the dodos did come back and are living in Washington DC. Okay, so the passenger pigeons, Bali Tiger, Flying Fox, Black Rhino........

 

[Laurajean]

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Yes, what you wrote above is exactly my concern.

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This part I'm not sure I agree with. The whole concept of cloning concerns me. It seems to be acting against nature. We've messed up a lot of ecosystems by introducing foreign species into new areas with good intentions that resulted in invasive species and a lot of problems. I'm nervous about what cloning animals (especially extinct animals) will do. While I hate to see species go extinct, especially ones that are endangered due to human interference, I'm still worried of the effects of bringing back animals that survived in times and areas and climates that no longer exist. It just worries me.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Well, horses lived here during the Ice Age and went extinct and then were reintroduced.

So ...

The only logical thing to do would be to turn them loose in the northern U.S., round them up and adopt them out periodically. When ranchers/farmers start complaining about them, simply get a group that says "they are a symbol of the past" and don't allow anyone to hunt them or use them as meat.


Either that or Jean Auel is going to have to get going on another book.

 

[HLAC]

Then what?

Mammoth burgers. Rack of rib.

They can work on Irish Elk next.