Which animal does humankind owe most to?

[Al2O3]

Just curious on people’s views.

a. The dog. Faithful friend. Herder of our ancient flocks, helpful hunter. Leader of the blind.

b. The chicken. Versatile and cheap food source. Figures heavily in most cultures. And there is the egg of course.

c. The horse. Transport, revolutionised war, puller of cargo and ploughs. Made life easier for us all for millennia.

d. The bee. The pollinator without whom most of nature’s produce would have been a fraction of what it is. Perhaps we wouldn’t be as many as we are today otherwise.

Or is there another one, I have overlooked? What are your thoughts?

I vote horse🐴

Another vote for horse.

The bee. Animals that we eat and rely on for work etc eat things pollinated by bees too.

The bee.

We’re fucked without them.

The cow. It was from the cow that cowpox came and from cowpox that Dr Edward Jenner developed his theory of immunisation. Without immunisation from smallpox alone, millions would die each year.

I’m inclined to bee, I think had they not existed humans may never have appeared. At least not in our current form. We would be some plant or grass eating form of monkey. But then I could be wrong.

What about other animals? Spiders, for eating bugs.

Birds

‘Birds perform a broad variety of ecological roles, including forest decomposition, insect pest control, nutrient recycling, bio-indication of ecosystem health, plant pollination, and seed dispersal. Some ground-dwelling birds even help aerate and turn up soil with their claws.’

‘Birds keep systems in balance, but they are not only ecologically significant to humans; they provide inspiration to people with their aesthetic magnificence. Could you imagine a world without the visual and acoustic beauty of avian creatures? ‘

Birds inspired mankind to invent different ways to fly, quite possibly one of the greatest achievements of mankind.

Cow - now that’s interesting.

I vote for earthworms. Keeping our soil aerated and suitable for food growth

I think it has to be a combination of all of them.

Great post Palominoo thank you.

I wonder what David Attenborough thinks?

Johnny Morris wound probably say Ring-tail Lemurs.

To be honest we still have no concept of how much humankind relies on pretty much every other species on this planet. Though you wouldn’t think so by the way we seem hellbent on destroying them and their environment

To be honest, probably mosquitoes for their role in global population control, unpleasant though that is.

Sheep have made an important contribution historically, perhaps less so at present since in development of synthetic fabrics.

By the way, the sperm whale doesn’t count.

Horse.

I think you've got to separate ecosystem services from domesticated animals. Ecosystem services are all interrelated, and there are a huge number without which life just wouldn't have evolved in the same way. Equally, if a species had never existed, perhaps another would have evolved to fill its niche- e.g. with bees, there are other pollinating insects, and perhaps another clade might have evolved to be more prolific if bees have never existed. That's not to say if they went extinct now, the effects wouldn't be devastating, of course!

There's a huge list of ecosystem services, provided by a range of animals, I wouldn't want to live without- not least anything involved in decomposition!

Of domesticated animals, I think the horse has probably done the most to further civilization and allow us to do things that we couldn't have achieved by ourselves- especially by providing longer distance transport and facilitating trade.

Insect. For pollination. Because plants are what our ecosystem and food chain relies on.

I see that we have a descendant of Thomas Malthus on the thread, @ Fenella

The mouse. Vast majority of pharmaceuticals are screened through mice before progressing. Modern medicine would be non-existent without the mouse.

The bee

How about sheep? The component of those ancient flocks, the 'golden hooves' of medieval times. Provider of much clothing in north european climes, without which we'd never have been able to stick it out here. Also provide milk, cheese, meat, and fertilization of fields.

Or the various species making up the world's ocean's phytoplankton, who contribute most of the oxygen.

oceans'

Cats: our overlords have been manipulating our evolution and societal development over the millennia, so we may serve them better. Ask the ancient Eqyptians.