Animals Brought by Europeans

	Goat	Cow	Sheep	Pig
Native American Uses	• used wool to make blankets	• raised to trade with Europeans	• used wool to make blankets	• raised to trade with Europeans
European Settler Uses	• used meat for food	• used as work animals on farms • used milk for food	• used meat and milk for food • used wool and skins for clothing	• used meat for food

Nonnative Animals

Europeans brought different kinds of animals to the Americas, including pigs, cattle, goats, and sheep.

Pigs became a good food for Native Americans, as well as settlers. However, pigs destroyed many plants and animals that were native to the Americas. Pigs trampled grasses. And how they ate! They dug roots and vegetables out of the ground. They gobbled up baby birds, eggs, fruits, and vegetables. They even ate shellfish!

Nothing seemed to stop them. If the sun was too hot, the pigs crawled under bushes or into holes. One Spanish explorer reported that in sixteen years his herd of pigs had increased from 24 to 30,000! Pigs were soon running wild.

In 1598, Spanish settlers came to New Mexico along with their herds of cattle, sheep, and goats. These settlers forced the Pueblo Indians to work for them. The work included taking care of the animals.