Paleogenomic evidence on the temporal continuity of indigenous goat exploitation in the Canary Islands

Abstract

Paleogenomic and radiocarbon data indicate that, excluding the temporal occupation of the islet of Lobos by Romans, the Canary Islands were permanently colonized by North Africans around the 3rd century CE. The archipelago was seemingly forgotten in the following centuries by Western societies until the beginning of the European Age of Exploration in the 14th century. In this study, we present 52 mitogenomes of ancient Canarian goats, including samples from the Roman site of Lobos, and the indigenous and colonial periods. We observe that the mitogenomes of indigenous goats are consistent with a North African origin for the human Canarian population. Goats from Lobos share the same haplotypes as the indigenous population, indicating that both settlements briefly overlapped, and goats in Lobos were probably taken from neighboring islands. We also detect temporal continuity from the indigenous period to the colonial and present-day goats, suggesting European settlers exploited this well-adapted species.