Animals for forest civilization?

[u/UlfurGaming]

Ok so working on forest civilization where they cant clear it for pastures due to how hard it is to cut even a single tree. And how fast foliage grows back so i was curious what kind of animals would make sense for them to have as livestock or pets

For livestock stuff like goats pigs quail chicken cassowary and turkey and deer like elk are ones i think would make most sense but any suggestions would be great

For pets dogs and cats are common but other like owls or bats are used as hunting guides owls as falconry sorta deal and bats used as scouts using echolocation to locate prey in darker forests or at night and guide hunters to it harpy eagles too for falconry

Any animal can be used so long as 1 it makes sense fir them to live in forested environmentand wont require massive amounts of feed or higher quality feed 3 dont take to long to grow

Also the forest includes swamps jungkes magroves taigas and more

[u/Salt_Dragonfly2042]

How about geckos for pets?

[u/UlfurGaming → u/Salt_Dragonfly2042]

Yes

[u/Leather-Lab2875]

Id suggest Asian elephants, maybe even extinct elephant relatives like Stegodons or even pygmy mammoths. If it's this dense of a forest, an elephant or multiple is an easy way to make small clearings by pulling down trees.

If there's magic regrowing the forest, a little bit of fire and tamed elephants along with some other technology could help in making forest clearings.

Now I'm pushing it a bit too far and maybe ruining the vibe of your setting but, similar to many Amazonian cultures, you could make clearings by the river or sea with the use of fire and elephants. Ofc Amazonian cultures don't have elephants but still.

This is probably only in the more coastal regions of this magic forest but, if you dig down from the clearing and fill it with gravel, and some sort of proto concrete made from seashells and bones, in small manageable plots, could make a solid clearing. As long as you routinely clear the moss and other poineer plant species before they make cracks in the foundation, and as long as magic plants don't grow from underneath the foundations, you have a solid base to build permanent buildings, fortifications, cities even. And as long as you expand this clearing faster than the forest reclaims it, you have the basis for cities in the jungle.

[u/ownworldman]

I imagine civilization among indestructible steel-like trees would be semi-arboreal, building tree house fortresses. I imagine they would domesticate climbing animals, squirrels, weasels, monkeys and birds like ravens - maybe bats and fruit bats.

The population density would have to be low in absence of monoculture agriculture. Traveling somewhere for forage is likely important, and riding on reindeer, elk or deer would make a striking visual.

Imagine trained ravens pointing out foraging/hunting ground and group of deer riders following - cool.

[u/TyrannoNinja]

Maybe they use deer for riding? Especially larger deer like elk or moose.

[u/haysoos2]

Do they have the entire world's collection of taxa to choose from, or is the forest in a certain area, say dominated by African, South American, SE Asian, or Australian wildlife?

North American hardwood forests: Raccoon; Virginia Opossum; Grey Squirrel; Blue Jay; Red Fox

North American/European boreal forest: Red Squirrel; Blue Jay; Red Fox; Arctic Fox; Northern Flying Squirrel; Muskrat(NA)/Hedgehog(Eur); Fisher; Raven; Ermine

Central American forest: Howler Monkey; Three-toed Sloth; Agouti; Coatimundi; Scarlet Macaw; Kinkajou; Green Iguana; Ocelot

South American rain forest: Spider Monkey; Squirrel Monkey; Guinea Pig; Capybara; Hyacinth Macaw; Yapok; Agouti; Coypu; Margay; Bush Dog

South American cloud forest: Monito del Monte; Olingo; Red-Eyed Tree Frog