Here's a breakdown:
* Early stages: The earliest evidence of animal domestication comes from dogs, around 15,000 years ago. It's thought they were originally wolves that humans began associating with for hunting and protection.
* Later stages: Domestication of other animals like sheep, goats, and pigs followed around 10,000 years ago in the Middle East. This coincided with the development of agriculture, as these animals provided a source of food, milk, and wool.
* Continued development: The process of domestication continued for many more centuries, with different regions of the world developing different species.
* Ongoing process: Even today, some animals are still being domesticated, such as the silkworm and the zebra.
It's important to remember that domestication was a gradual process, not a sudden event. It involved humans selecting animals with desirable traits, breeding them, and eventually changing their behavior and genetics.