Pedigree, the recorded ancestral line of a person or animal, or the breeding of an improved or hybridized plant strain. The table or chart showing the ancestry of a person is more commonly known as a genealogical, or family, tree. Pedigrees are usually kept for purebred horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, dogs, and cats, and are required for animals entered in competitions for specific breeds. Livestock pedigrees are kept mainly for purposes of selective breeding.