![]() ![]() The dodo bird was massively hunted by sailors. Once humans arrived on the island everything changed. Throughout the years, the dodo evolved into the dodo we know today. And with no predators to be feared from, flying was just an unnecessary waste of energy. Their size was merely a product of the abundance of food. Without significant predators and an abundance of food, they were living in an animal paradise.įrom an evolutionary point of view, the dodo’s size and inability to fly were just an adaptation to its environment. In less than a century humans have done what nature couldn’t do for millions of years.ĭodo birds inhabited the isolated island of Mauritius. The first written records of the dodo bird were by Dutch sailors in 1598, and the last dodo bird anyone has seen was in 1662. Because of this, the last sighting of 1662 is taken as the only credible source of the dodo extinction. Visitors to the island may have confused the red rail with the dodo, therefore the belief they weren’t extinct. However, according to Alfred Newton, a British ornithologist, after their extinction, the name dodo was transferred to the red rail, a different bird species from the island. Other written records also show sightings of dodo birds after 1662. ![]() According to Isaac Johannes Lamotius, and his hunting reports, the last dodo bird was seen in 1688. Several written records suggest they didn’t go extinct in 1662. There is a lot of controversy about the date of the dodo’s extinction. In less than a century from its discovery, the dodo bird was already extinct. Their extinction was not noticed right away, however, it did happen very quickly. They can be seen in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. In the early 17th century, several specimens were brought to Europe, however, it’s uncertain how many of them had survived.Īmong those specimens probably were the dried head and foot, the only soft tissues of a dodo bird we have today. The last sighting of a dodo bird, according to a written report by Volkert Evertsz, a shipwrecked mariner of the Dutch ship Arnhem, was in 1662. "If the dodo were to be brought back, it could be restored to protected habitats on Mauritius, where people could go to observe dodos in their native habitat," she says in an interview with Smithsonian Magazine.Final Thoughts When did the dodo bird go extinct? She has expressed interest in the possibility of bringing back the dodo. Earlier this year, she said the dodo had been completely sequenced, although results haven't yet been published. Among other animals, her work has focused on the dodo. Scientists Might Try To Bring Them BackĮvolutionary biologist, Beth Shapiro, travels to remote locations seeking fossils from which to extract the DNA of long-extinct animals. ![]() This is unusual among birds, who typically rely on vision. Dodos also had a large olfactory bulb for enhanced smelling capabilities. Research shows that their brain-to-body size relationship suggests moderate intelligence levels. Some synonyms for the word "dodo" are "ignoramus," "dummy," "moron" and "dull." But dodos were not stupid. The generally accepted extinction date is 1662, although, in 2013, researchers put the date as late as 1690. These animals destroyed nests and ate the eggs while humans damaged the forests that the dodos lived in. ![]() The animals the settlers brought with them, including rats, monkeys, dogs, sheep and pigs, were responsible for decimating the dodo population. Despite popular belief, settlers didn't like the taste of the dodo bird, and the dodo population decrease wasn't the result of the birds being consumed. That is, as mentioned above, until a Dutch settlement arrived. Extinctionįor many years, the dodo had all the food needed to survive and thrive on Mauritius and lived without threats. As people began inhabiting the area and killing the dodo, the population never recovered and eventually went extinct. The dodo population thrived until Dutch settlements started at Mauritius in 1638. Since they were flightless, they would build their nests on the ground and surround them with grass. While many birds lay more than one egg at a time, it has been speculated from witness reports that a female dodo would lay only one egg at a time. Other birds who once flew but evolved into non-fliers include penguins and ostriches. Without the need for flight to escape predators, dodos adapted to grow larger and eliminated the ability to fly. This is most likely a result of evolutionary biology. Most notably, their wings were too short and their pectoral muscles weren't strong enough to fly. Weighing about 50 pounds, it sported a big head, large hooked-tipped bill and short legs. Dodos lived on the Indian island of Mauritius and are descendants of Asian pigeons. ![]()
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