The origin of the Fuegian Dog: Reassessment of taxonomic identity and domestication process using whole genome sequencing

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Complex Human-Animal Interactions in the Americas" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This paper examines the origin and possible domestication of the Fuegian dog, an extinct canine species that lived alongside Indigenous groups in Tierra del Fuego, South America. Historical accounts by explorers and naturalists offer conflicting viewpoints regarding the origin of this South American canid. While some suggest an historic European introduction, previous genetic analyses pointed to the local domestication of native South American foxes (Lycalopex sp.). Here, we report on the biomolecular analysis of two secure museum reference specimens of the Fuegian dog from École Nationale Vetérinaire d'Alfort at Maisons-Alfort, collected prior to this population’s extinction before the 20th Century. We apply ZooMS, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, and whole genome sequencing to determine the species and origin of the Fuegian dog. ZooMS analysis attested to the preservation of biomolecules, and confirmed the identification as a canid. mtDNA genome analysis was applied to determine the species and the maternal origin of the Fuegian dog. Whole genome sequencing was applied to verify the species, identify the population of origin, and search for signatures of hybridization. Our biomolecular results, in combination with previous genetic and historic studies, raise the possibility of Indigenous domestication and management strategies that incorporated local and introduced canid species.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Complex Human-Animal Interactions in the Americas

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51177