The Dogs of Remote Oceania: an archaeological and ethnohistorical view of domestic dog introduction and loss in the South Pacific

Abstract

Domestic dogs were transported by voyagers to the islands of Remote Oceania. However, the distribution of these, and other domesticates, varies by location. By the time of European contact, dogs were extirpated from many islands, but the cause of their disappearance remains unknown. Archaeological reports and ethnohistoric text analysed for 35 islands and island groups in Remote Oceania reveal regional patterns of dog introduction and loss that shed light on their disappearance. The findings of this survey indicate that people introduced dogs to most island groups in Remote Oceania and that pre-European extirpation rates were high. The highest localized extinction rates occurred on low islands suggesting that low-island vulnerabilities and spatial constraints on population size affect survivorship. The dogs of Remote Oceania have a complex history in which introduction to new islands was common, but long-term persistence was difficult.