Polynesian Dog

[1] In the third edition of Mammal Species of the World published in 2005, the mammalogist W. Christopher Wozencraft listed under the wolf Canis lupus the taxon "familiaris Linneaus, 1758 [domestic dog]".

[2] These dogs were introduced by the ancestors of the Polynesian people during their settlement of the far-flung islands, with a few major archipelagos developing isolated breeds.

Islands like Mangareva, Tokelau and the Marquesas possessed domesticated dog populations after initial settlement that went extinct before the arrival of European explorers.

Along with domesticated pigs and chickens, dog meat was an important animal protein source for the human populations of Polynesia.

[14][15][16] The diet and environment of the islands resulted in a dog with small stature and a docile disposition, and European explorers described them as lazy.

[17] In the Tongan narrative, Maui-Atalaga and his son/brother Maui-Kijikiji attempted to hunt down Fulububuta, an enormous man-eating dog, larger than a horse, living in a cave on the Fijian island of Moturiki.

However, Atalaga is killed and dragged into a cave by the monster, which is later slain by Maui-Kijikiji, who wastes away mourning his dead father.

[23][24] The study also looked at archaeological specimens of ancient Polynesian dogs from which only a "short-haplotype" (a short sequence) could be derived.