The History Of Dodo's Extinction Due To Human Greed

In history, the dodo bird is one of the most iconic birds out there due to its unique features. However, it is very unfortunate that most of the people here did not have the opportunity to see this dodo bird since it has become extinct a very long time ago.

After this harmless bird ceased to exist on the face of the earth centuries ago, we only have the remaining history of it, illustrations, and a few skeletal specimens kept in museums. In this article, we will share some of the most interesting facts about this bird and most importantly the factors behind its extinction.

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The origin of the name 'dodo' is constantly being debated. Some believed that it originated from the Dutch word 'dodaars' which means plump arse while other people also claimed that it came from the Portuguese word 'doido' which means fool or crazy.

The subfossil that is kept showed that the dodo bird has a height of 1 meter and perhaps weighs around 10.6 to 17.5 kg especially the ones that live in the wild. The picture of the shape of the dodo can only be proven through drawings and written notes from the 17th century.

The last official appearance of the dodo bird occurred in the 1660s. Ever since then dodo birds were believed to have disappeared from the course of history.

Endemic in Mauritius

One interesting fact about this bird is that it cannot fly and it is considered an endemic bird. This means Dodo or its scientific name Raphus Cucullatus is a bird that can be found only on Mauritius Island a long time ago.

Dodo for so long was considered a very chubby animal that is suitable for its ecosystem. This bird was pictured as being greyish to chocolate in color, having yellow feet, a tail with a fluffy fur, a grey head as well as a black, yellowish to green beak.

Their food mainly consists of the tambalacoque or more commonly known by the locals as the dodo tree. The biologists believe that the Dodo will eat the tambalacoque plant and nuts, fruits, roots, and small insects.

Dodo birds are quite fortunate since it does not have any natural predators hunting them down. Biologists also believed that this might be the reason why the bird cannot fly. Adapting to the situation where it does not need to fly has changed the bird's anatomy from time on making its feathers smaller and the tail harder.

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Due to this, the Dodo bird will also lay its egg on the ground which later will make the eggs more vulnerable to the humans and other animals that arrive on the island.

The Discovery Of Dodo Birds

As we have stated previously, Dodo birds are endemic animals. This means it can only be found around Mauritius island but the question is when does humanity actually discover this cute creature?

Many historical texts have shown that Arab travelers visited Mauritius island before the 16th century but they might not have seen it or known of its existence on the island. The earliest notes regarding Dodo birds were first captured by the Dutch sailors namely the Dutch East India Company that came to that region in 1598.

The illustration of the bird arrived years later and the last time the bird was seen in the wild was in the 1660s.

The Extinction Of Dodo Birds

It was very unfortunate for these birds since they became extinct at the wrong time. It sounds odd enough but during the 17th century, western scientists did not know of the importance of Dodo birds' specimens which are considered very valuable today.

Most of them did not breed or look after the birds and instead threw them out as they thought that the birds will never be extinct. The extinction of this bird occurred long before scientists were ready to accept that the bird can cease to exist in this world.

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Three closed theories explain how this bird can disappear from the face of the earth for good.

1. The Arrival of Mankind

Before the arrival of humans on the island, Dodo birds were thriving and living freely since they were not considered prey in the food chain. The hunting of the Dodo birds by outsiders that came here was believed to be the main reason the bird became extinct.

2. The Existence of Animals From Outside.

Usually, western travelers will come here and bring together their pets as well as their livestock like rats, cats, dogs, and even pigs. This situation will affect the ecosystem and the stable food chain. For so long dodo birds are used to laying eggs on the ground and the presence of outsiders who are considered pests slowly consumes the living of the dodo birds. The eggs of the dodo birds are considered food to the animals around which resulted in the reduction of the population of this bird.

3. Loss of Shelter

As more people swarm into the island, many forests were cut down in the process. The natural habitat of the dodo birds was lost due to human greed.

Now, some of the specimens of dodo birds still exist to this day which comprises the head and feet at Oxford, the feet at the British Muzeum, the head at Copenhagen, the uncompleted skeleton at various places like the European Museum, United States of America and Mauritius.