We investigated human-suid interactions to understand how suids could coexist with humans in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, for centuries despite the limited carrying capacity of each island and their overlapping nutritional needs with humans. We carried out dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) and geometric morphometric (GMM) analysis on suid remains excavated from different localities on the Ryukyu Islands to determine their feeding patterns. The DMTA results suggested that humans approximately 7000 to 4400 BP probably reared/kept some suids before slaughter. Their “wild” molar shape suggested that they lived in proximity to the wild ecosystem and were probably not part of the domestic stock. Our results showed that suids belonged to a reared population that was captured by hunting for delayed consumption. The emerging picture is that suids were fed leftovers or other by-products of human activities. Thus, we conclude that suids and humans created an interdependent relationship instead of becoming competitors, which enabled them to coexist on the islands.

The DMTA results suggested that the pig husbandry system of the islands varied during the 17th–19th centuries. In the central region of the islands, pigs were fed a much softer diet than natural resources in a floored stall, whereas in the southern region, pigs were allowed to range freely around human settlements. The GMM analysis of the outline shape of the teeth of suids from this period showed that they were morphologically similar to the modern native domestic breed found on the Ryukyu Islands, regardless of geographical setting of each archaeological site. These results suggest that some suids were transported overseas.

我们调查了人类与猪的相互作用，以了解在日本琉球群岛，尽管每个岛屿的承载能力有限且它们与人类的营养需求重叠，但几个世纪以来，猪如何与人类共存。我们对从琉球群岛不同地点出土的猪类遗骸进行了牙科微磨损纹理分析 (DMTA) 和几何形态测量 (GMM) 分析，以确定它们的摄食模式。DMTA 结果表明，大约 7000 到 4400 BP 的人类可能在屠宰前饲养/保留了一些猪。它们“野生”的臼齿形状表明它们生活在野生生态系统附近，可能不是家养种群的一部分。我们的结果表明，suids 属于通过狩猎延迟消费而捕获的饲养种群。新出现的情况是，suids 被喂食剩菜或其他人类活动的副产品。因此，我们得出结论，suids 和人类创造了一种相互依赖的关系，而不是成为竞争者，这使它们能够在岛屿上共存。

DMTA 结果表明岛屿的养猪系统在 17 至 19 世纪发生了变化。在岛屿的中部地区，猪被喂食比天然资源软得多的饲料，而在南部地区，猪被允许在人类住区周围自由活动。对这一时期猪齿轮廓形状的 GMM 分析表明，无论每个考古遗址的地理环境如何，它们在形态上都与琉球群岛上发现的现代本土家养品种相似。这些结果表明一些猪被运送到海外。