Are ball pythons a domesticated species?

[ev477]

Since the idea of domestication is a social construct, it is important to look at varying definitions of the term. Here is a definition of domestication you might use for an in depth study of the anthropology of pet ownership or inter-species interactions:

According to evolutionary biologist Jared Diamond, animal species must meet six criteria in order to be considered for domestication:
1. Flexible diet — Creatures that are willing to consume a wide variety of food sources and can live off less cumulative food from the food pyramid (such as corn or wheat) are less expensive to keep in captivity. Carnivores by their very nature only feed on meat, which requires the expenditure of many animals.
2. Reasonably fast growth rate — Fast maturity rate compared to the human life span allows breeding intervention and makes the animal useful within an acceptable duration of caretaking. Large animals such as elephants require many years before they reach a useful size.
3. Ability to be bred in captivity — Creatures that are reluctant to breed when kept in captivity do not produce useful offspring, and instead are limited to capture in their wild state. Creatures such as the panda, antelope and giant forest hogs are territorial when breeding and cannot be maintained in crowded enclosures in captivity.
4. Pleasant disposition — Large creatures that are aggressive toward humans are dangerous to keep in captivity. The African buffalo has an unpredictable nature and is highly dangerous to humans. Although similar to domesticated pigs in many ways, American peccaries and Africa's warthogs and bushpigs are also dangerous in captivity.
5. Temperament which makes it unlikely to panic — A creature with a nervous disposition is difficult to keep in captivity as they will attempt to flee whenever they are startled. The gazelle is very flighty and it has a powerful leap that allows it to escape an enclosed pen. Some animals, such as Domestic sheep, still have a strong tendency to panic when their flight zone is crossed. However, most sheep also show a flocking instinct, whereby they stay close together when pressed. Livestock with such an instinct may be herded by people and dogs.
6. Modifiable social hierarchy — Social creatures that recognize a hierarchy of dominance can be raised to recognize a human as the pack leader.

(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/domesticated) Here is a general definition, much more simplified:

do⋅mes⋅ti⋅cate
   /dəˈmɛstɪˌkeɪt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [duh-mes-ti-keyt] Show IPA Pronunciation
verb, -cat⋅ed, -cat⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to convert (animals, plants, etc.) to domestic uses; tame.
2. to tame (an animal), esp. by generations of breeding, to live in close association with human beings as a pet or work animal and usually creating a dependency so that the animal loses its ability to live in the wild.
3. to adapt (a plant) so as to be cultivated by and beneficial to human beings.
4. to accustom to household life or affairs.
5. to take (something foreign, unfamiliar, etc.) for one's own use or purposes; adopt.
6. to make more ordinary, familiar, acceptable, or the like: to domesticate radical ideas.

Sure if you want to really argue that snakes are not pets because of 6 on the first list, go ahead. I would argue that the first definition is an over-analysis of the term. This is because people have been arguing that because of this definition, cats might not be considered domestic animals. There may be a spectrum between wild and domestic, but I don't think that is really important right now. I really do not believe that cats are wild animals, and if so, please point me to the first zoo that has a house-cat on display or where I could go to see this spectacle in its natural environment.

By looking at a definition from the dictionary, I would argue that snakes are indeed domesticated. This may not be true of ball-pythons, but I think snakes that are aggressive by nature will fit into this category. I would like to think that you can tame a snake. I'm assuming that the giant snake industry would be a lot less appealing if every retic or burm was as vicious as it was as a hatchling or as it's wild counterpart. Snakes also live in close associations with humans. Humans control the environments and diets.

There is no right or wrong here because you have to remember, domestic is not even real. Domestic is a word made up by humans to describe an occurrence in nature. There is no real domestication because we only perceive certain actions as domesticating or domestication. Snakes don't seem to care whether they are domestic or not. I don't think we should care too much either.