the extinct dodo bird

7/30/2019 The Extinct Dodo Bird

1/15


2/15

Presented by


3/15


4/15

Animalia (animals)

Chordata (chordates)

Aves (birds)

Columbiformes (pigeons)Raphidae (dodos and

solitaires)

Raphus

Raphus cucullatus

(Linnaeus, 1758)


5/15

In the year 1598, Portuguese sailors landing on the shores of the island ofMauritius discovered a previously unknown species of bird, the Dodo.

Having been isolated by its island location from contact with humanity, thedodo greeted the new visitors with a child-like innocence.

The sailors mistook the gentle spirit of the dodo, and its lack of fear of thenew predators, as stupidity. They dubbed the bird "dodo" (meaning somethingsimilar to a simpleton in the Portuguese tongue).

Many dodo were killed by the human visitors, and those that survived man

had to face the introduced animals. Dogs and pigs soon became feral whenintroduced to the Mauritian eco-system.

By the year 1681, the last dodo had died, and the world was left worse withits passing.


6/15

Thus it was easy prey to the Portuguese invaders who would clubthe bird to death as it approached them seeking friendship.

The dodo bird, historically, has been viewed as aratherplump bird,

The length of the dodo was about100cm(3ft, 3in) and weighing approximately 20-23kilograms.

The dodo had alarge, hooked, bowed beak.

Despite its large build, the dodo hadsmall,weak wingswhich could not lift it into the air.What distinguishes the dodo from many otherbirds is not just its size, but that it wasflightless.

It had large legs,a short neckand a23cm long

enormous thick. At the end of its thickset figure the dodo hada tussle feathers.


7/15

The plumage of the dodo wasgreyish with darkerupperpartsand lighter on throat and abdomen.

The tail feathers were whitish.

The thighs were blackish.

The bare part of the face was probably ash-coloured,while the feet and legs were yellow.

The iris was probably whitish, and its

beak green or black, perhaps with someyellow.

(Fuller, 2000)


8/15

Ancient opinions had been based around European portraits of the bird.These may have been a romanticized version of the truth, or those dodoremoved from their natural environment may have been fattened up.

Work has been done by a Curator ofthe Royal Museum of Scotland, AndrewKitchener, which suggest that the dodocould have been as light as betweenthirteen and seventeen kilograms.

By analizing dodo bones, he hascome up with a prediction that showsthe dodo wasn't a fat plump bird atall.


9/15

The dodo is quite distinct from the solitaire(a relative ofthe dodo which lived on the island of Reunion.)

The nests of the dodo bird were, by necessity, built on

the groundas the bird was flightless.

The dodo's young were afforded little protection on theground against introduced predators, such as the feral dogsand wild pigs left behind by sailors. Dodo eggs were

trampled and eaten by such creatures, and the ability torepopulate the species after hunting of the bird wasseriously affected.


10/15

Dodo birds were once theinhabitants of Mauritius,a small, island which liesapproximately 500 mileseast of Madagascar.Although Mauritius hasmany different regions,the dodo mainly residedin the forests.


11/15


12/15

The Mauritian calvariatree, soon after the dodobird became extinct,stopped sprounting

seeds, and it appeared itwould soon faceextinction itself.

While it was not initially

apparent,the calvaria would onlysprout seeds after havingbeen eaten and digestedby the dodo bird.


13/15

Some scientists disagree on the connectionbetween dodo and calvaria, but others believethat the dodo played an integral part in the

spreading of calvaria seeds. Turkeys have beengiven seeds to digest, and it is believed theycan perform a similar role.


14/15

http://www.davidreilly.com/dodo/background.html

http://www.dodo.blog.br/category/ornithology/

http://www.dodopad.com/dodofact/dodofact.htm

http://www.wild-facts.com/tag/dodo-bird-facts/

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v17/n4/dodo-bird

http://www.dodosite.com/solitaire_and_dodo_like.htm
http://www.davidreilly.com/dodo/background.htmlhttp://www.dodo.blog.br/category/ornithology/http://www.dodopad.com/dodofact/dodofact.htmhttp://www.wild-facts.com/tag/dodo-bird-facts/http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v17/n4/dodo-birdhttp://www.dodosite.com/solitaire_and_dodo_like.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Google.pnghttp://www.dodosite.com/solitaire_and_dodo_like.htmhttp://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v17/n4/dodo-birdhttp://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v17/n4/dodo-birdhttp://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v17/n4/dodo-birdhttp://www.wild-facts.com/tag/dodo-bird-facts/http://www.wild-facts.com/tag/dodo-bird-facts/http://www.wild-facts.com/tag/dodo-bird-facts/http://www.wild-facts.com/tag/dodo-bird-facts/http://www.wild-facts.com/tag/dodo-bird-facts/http://www.wild-facts.com/tag/dodo-bird-facts/http://www.wild-facts.com/tag/dodo-bird-facts/http://www.dodopad.com/dodofact/dodofact.htmhttp://www.dodo.blog.br/category/ornithology/http://www.davidreilly.com/dodo/background.html


15/15

the extinct dodo bird

Documents