Whole-genome sequencing reveals that Japanese and Ryukyu wild boars share a common ancestor

The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is widely distributed across Eurasia and has also colonized the Japanese archipelago, where two subspecies are recognized: the Japanese wild boar (JWB, Sus scrofa leucomystax) and the Ryukyu wild boar (RWB, Sus scrofa riukiuanus). Before this study, whole-genome sequence data were available for only a single wild boar from Japan whose geographic origin was unknown. As a result, the genetic relationship between JWB and RWB, as well as their evolutionary relationships with continental wild boar populations, remained unclear.