 |
| Dodo sculpture at the Budapest Zoo. |
Despite being long-extinct, the dodo bird is well known. But, did you know dodos were unique to Mauritius?
Recent research determined that dodos evolved from migratory African pigeons. As the pigeons settled into isolated, island living, they evolved into the larger, ground-dwelling dodos. The closest living relative to the dodo is the Nicobar pigeon, native to the Nicobar island and Southeast Asia.
Mauritius was uninhabited by humans until the Dutch began settling there in 1598. Therefore, the dodo knew no predators until that time. Not surprisingly, they were passive and inquisitive creatures. So, when dodos first encountered humans, the dodos most likely were easy prey. The Dutch, and the rats, pigs and monkeys they brought with them, hunted the dodos for food. In just decades, they were gone. Dodos were officially declared extinct by 1681.
No comments:
Post a Comment