Thieves, Stowaways, Hitchhikers, and Hangers-On: The Commensal Niche in the Prehistoric Caribbean

Summary

Prehistoric commensal animal relationships are understudied for the Caribbean, with little explicit consideration for the defining attributes of the insular commensal niche or what taxa may be rightly considered commensal. Here, I address these issues by clarifying the nature of Caribbean commensalism with respect to synanthropy, domestication, animal management, and phoresy. I consider which vertebrate and invertebrate taxa most likely enjoyed commensal relationships with humans in the pre-Columbian era and argue that many native mammals were probably ill-suited for synanthropy, in contrast to certain birds, reptiles and invertebrates. The more prominent mammalian commensals in the Caribbean are introduced synanthropes – species which were likely transported to the islands specifically because of this relationship and the degree of mutualism it conferred.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20462