New research rescues the dodo’s reputation from confusion and myth

Raphuscucullatus

Pezophaps solitaria

• Large, flightless bird;
• Estimated height: 3 feet (1 meter);
• Weight: 20-40 pounds (9-18 kg); 
• Grayish plumage, large hooked beak

• Flightless; Grayish-brown plumage;
• Sexual dimorphism (males larger); 
• Height: Up to 3 feet (90 cm); 
• Weight: 
• Males: 50 pounds (23 kg), Females: 20-30 pounds (9-14 kg)
• Males had a large bony knob on the wrists

• Endemic to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean;
• Lived in forests

• Primarily frugivorous (fruit-eating);
• Likely ate seeds, nuts, and possibly small animals

• Descended from a species of pigeon or dove;
• The dodo’s closest relative was the Nicobar pigeon.
• Evolved to be flightless due to lack of predators on Mauritius; 
• Dodos and solitaires weren’t always flightless. Over hundreds of thousands of years, they became larger and lived closer to the ground. They also had little competition for their food sources. 

Likely had good running abilities. This ability to run is reflected in the dodo’s anatomy. Birds close their toes with the help of tendons that run through a groove found in a large bone in their leg called the tibiotarsus. Evidence from existing dodo bones suggest the groove housed a tendon as big as the tibiotarsus bone, an anatomical feature seen in contemporary birds that are good runners.

• Family: Columbidae
• Descended from a species of pigeon or dove
• Behavior and Ecology:
  • Monogamous; Territorial; Built nests on the ground; Males used wing bones in combat

• First encountered by Dutch sailors in 1598;
• Became extinct by 1681, less than a century after discovery

• Extinct (last confirmed in the 1760s)

• Human hunting, habitat destruction, introduction of invasive species (rats, pigs, monkeys);
• Pigs ate dodo eggs; 
• Rats and cats preyed on chicks; 
• Goats trampled nests; 
• Few natural predators

• Human hunting, habitat destruction, introduced predators (cats, pigs, rats); Extinct by the 1770s

• Example of human-induced extinction;
• Subject of research on island bird evolution and extinction; 
• Studying the dodo can help protect bird species and prevent biodiversity loss

• Aims to demonstrate the dodo’s adaptation to its environment; Shows that dodos weren’t naturally “doomed” to extinction; Emphasizes the need for environmental care