You have most likely heard of the Mauritian dodo or, as it is also called, the dodo bird. Although the dodo is long gone, the appearance of this mysterious bird is known to many: it can be found in museums, pop culture, on pizza packaging and even on the national flag. Thanks to the dodo, the scientific community began to pay attention to the problem of animal extinction as a result of human influence. The fact of its extinction was actively discussed in the media all over the world, accusing mankind of irresponsible attitude to nature. For a long time we thought that it became extinct because it lived in too good conditions. A kind of evolutionary error: a slow bird that couldn't fly, too stupid to run away from danger. But was this really the case?
The Dodo's First Encounter with Humans
In the 16th century, sailors began to stop at the island of Mauritius during their voyages across the Indian Ocean. The first mention of the dodo dates back to 1598. Dutch sailors described it as a fat, slow bird that was so dismissive of danger that it could be caught with its bare hands. Even though the dodo was not the tastiest bird in the world, because of its size and ease of hunting, sailors began to exterminate it in large numbers. It only took 60 years for the species to become completely extinct. The dodo was last seen in the 1660s. But it is impossible to say exactly when it disappeared, as no one simply did not pay attention to it.
Early Scientific Theories about Extinction
The theory of creationism was popular at that time. It was believed that God created all living things, so the scientific community did not even consider the possibility that a species could disappear because of human influence. It was not until the late 18th century that this was first considered. In 1796, French naturalist Georges Cuvier published his work On the Species of Living and Fossil Elephants, in which he described extinct mammoths. Around the same time, Mary Anning, the first female palaeontologist, was doing her work. She studied the fossilized remains of dinosaurs and made major contributions to the science of the prehistoric development of the Earth. Thus, extinction as a natural phenomenon began to take hold in people's minds. It turns out that the dodo bird disappeared a whole century before anyone noticed. Interestingly, just as species can disappear, opportunities can appear unexpectedly. For example, Slotozen Casino offers a wide range of exciting chances to win, where players can explore games with the possibility of big payouts, much like uncovering a long-lost species.
The Dodo's Legacy and Symbolism
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The Search for the Dodo
When Britain invaded Mauritius in 1810, interest in natural history was already growing worldwide. Naturalists and biologists were actively collecting information about extant and extinct species. But the stories about the dodo bird were so bizarre that at first the British thought they were legends about a mythical creature. In 1816, a council was assembled to ask the island's elderly inhabitants to tell all they knew about the mysterious bird. No one was able to describe it, as at that time more than 150 years had passed since the last mention of the dodo. All that remained were sketches by Dutch sailors and a couple of incomplete skeletons in European museums.
The Dodo’s Rediscovery
In 1848, the first scientific paper on the extinct dodo was published. It described the dodo as a strange and bizarre grotesque-looking bird. However, scientists were convinced that it existed and may have been a species of pigeon. Because of this assumption, the authors of the paper were ridiculed in scientific circles. Until recently, our knowledge of the dodo was limited to this. But in 2005, the results of excavations in the swamps on the island of Mauritius were published. Based on the remains found, scientists were able to draw conclusions about the life of the extinct species and its habitat. The new discoveries made us change our opinion about this bird.
The Dodo's Habitat and Adaptation
It turned out that the dodo's habitat was far from ideal. Cyclones and dry seasons were in constant rotation. The excavations showed that the dodos experienced an extreme drought that forced them to leave their habitat in search of water. The drought was so severe that it affected their bones. Scientists found areas of stunted growth. A similar effect occurs when an animal lacks the resources to grow. It turns out that the dodo was able to survive and adapt to the ever-changing conditions. Augmented skeletons showed that they had massive legs for travelling over mountainous terrain and a fairly large brain with developed areas responsible for olfaction. And DNA samples from the Mauritian dodo showed that it was indeed related to pigeons. Most likely, 7 million years ago, the ancestors of the dodo settled in Mauritius and lost the ability to fly. On an island with no natural enemies, flying only wasted unnecessary resources.
How Did the Dodo Become Extinct?
But how did the Mauritian dodo become extinct? The classic version says that all representatives of the species were eaten by humans, because they were easy to catch. However, it's probably not our appetite that's to blame, but our carelessness. The fact is that when breeding dodos laid and incubated only one egg and not in trees, but on the ground. When people settled Mauritius, they brought with them animals that were happy to take advantage of this - pigs and rats. There is evidence that these animals successfully wiped out several species of birds after they were brought to new territories. It is likely that the same thing happened to the dodo.
The Dodo’s Evolutionary Success
It turns out that the Mauritian dodo was not a stupid, lazy bird. From an evolutionary point of view, this species was quite successful. Dodos adapted well to specific environmental conditions and even thrived in them, until humans and their companions abruptly changed everything. The fact that the extinction of the Mauritian dodo was not inevitable has allowed scientists to think about the world's first project to restore an extinct species. Attempts are now underway to breed dodo chicks from preserved DNA samples. So it is possible that the dodo will surprise us once again.
Interesting Facts About the Dodo
- Dodos had an unusually large sense of smell – Unlike most birds, which rely heavily on their vision, the dodo had a well-developed olfactory bulb in its brain. This suggests that it depended on its sense of smell to find food, likely searching for fallen fruits, seeds, and possibly small invertebrates hidden in the undergrowth.
- Their closest living relative is the Nicobar pigeon – Despite their vastly different appearances, genetic studies have shown that the dodo’s closest living relative is the Nicobar pigeon, a colorful bird found in Southeast Asia. Both species share a common ancestor that arrived in Mauritius millions of years ago.
- Dodos may have had a seasonal feeding pattern – Fossil evidence suggests that dodos experienced seasonal changes in body mass. During times of food abundance, they likely built up fat reserves to survive periods of drought or scarcity, which may have contributed to early misconceptions that they were always "fat and lazy."
- The dodo had no natural predators on Mauritius, which made it unusually fearless—even walking right up to sailors, sealing its fate.
- The dodo's closest living relatives are pigeons and doves. Despite its large size and inability to fly, it belongs to the same family, Columbidae. Scientists believe that millions of years ago, the dodo's ancestors arrived on the island of Mauritius from nearby landmasses. Over time, these ancestors adapted to the island's environment, losing the need for flight and evolving into the dodo we know today.