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HISTORY OF THE DODO BIRD
The first documented appearance of the dodo bird is in the early 15th century by Dutch explorers. Dutch vice-admiral Wybrand Van Warwijck used the name “walgyogel” in his journal to describe the bird after his visit to the island of Mauritius in 1598. The origins of word dodo to describe the bird is still unclear, but some ascribe it to the Dutch word dodoaars referring to the birds knot of feathers. Even though the Portuguese visited the island first in 1507, no records show of them mentioning the bird. But, according to the Portuguese dictionary, the word “dodo” is derived from doido meaning “fool” or “crazy”.
Extinction
Because the dodo bird’s natural environment lacked any significant predators, dodos were fearless of people. This, combined with flightlessness, made them an easy prey. With combination of human hunting and becoming prey for animals brought onto the island by the explorers (i.e. dogs, cats, pigs, and rats) dodo birds became extinct in late 17th century.
Upon the initial extinction, very few took notice of the bird. In the early 19th century, scientific interest in the dodo bird was rekindled after some evidence of the bird was found in the swamp on its native island. Also, the use of dodo bird as a character in the Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland sparked interest in the dodo bird with the general public. Since then, multiple films, cartoons and other media have used dodo birds as an example of an extinct species.
A Reference Site for The Dodo Bird and it's History
The Dodo bird or Raphus Cucullatus was a flightless bird native to the island of Mauritius, near the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The closest relatives to the dodo bird are pigeons and doves, even though dodo birds were much larger in size. On average, dodo birds stood 3 feet tall and weighted about 40 lb. Unfortunately, due to aggressive human population, dodo birds became extinct in late 17th century.
The Dodo Bird
The first documented appearance of the dodo bird is in the early 15th century by Dutch explorers. Dutch vice-admiral Wybrand Van Warwijck used the name “walgyogel” in his journal to describe the bird after his visit to the island of Mauritius in 1598. The origins of word dodo to describe the bird is still unclear, but some ascribe it to the Dutch word dodoaars referring to the birds knot of feathers. Even though the Portuguese visited the island first in 1507, no records show of them mentioning the bird. But, according to the Portuguese dictionary, the word “dodo” is derived from doido meaning “fool” or “crazy”.
Extinction
Because the dodo bird’s natural environment lacked any significant predators, dodos were fearless of people. This, combined with flightlessness, made them an easy prey. With combination of human hunting and becoming prey for animals brought onto the island by the explorers (i.e. dogs, cats, pigs, and rats) dodo birds became extinct in late 17th century.
Upon the initial extinction, very few took notice of the bird. In the early 19th century, scientific interest in the dodo bird was rekindled after some evidence of the bird was found in the swamp on its native island. Also, the use of dodo bird as a character in the Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland sparked interest in the dodo bird with the general public. Since then, multiple films, cartoons and other media have used dodo birds as an example of an extinct species.
A Reference Site for The Dodo Bird and it's History
The Dodo bird or Raphus Cucullatus was a flightless bird native to the island of Mauritius, near the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The closest relatives to the dodo bird are pigeons and doves, even though dodo birds were much larger in size. On average, dodo birds stood 3 feet tall and weighted about 40 lb. Unfortunately, due to aggressive human population, dodo birds became extinct in late 17th century.
The Dodo Bird