Dodo

Animals Unique | Dodo | The dodo was a medium-large sized flightless bird That was Discovered on the Island of Mauritius in the 1590s and was declared extinct less than a century later, in 1681. Despite the turkey-sized body of the dodo, it is thought to have been most closely related to smaller birds as doves and pigeons Such.

The dodo inhabited the tropical forests on the tiny island of Mauritius That Is situated in the Indian Ocean. Like the island of Madagascar neighbouring, Mauritius broke away from the African continent when the first land split, it's Causing wildlife to be extremely unique and the dodo is no exception.

The dodo had a large body, Stubby wings, a small, curved tail, short legs, and a large beak. The feathers of the dodo were gray, black and white in color and the large curved beak of the dodo is one of it's most distinctive features.

 

The dodo is a bird That large sized adapted to a life without large ground-dwelling predators, the which led to the dodo to behave quite unusually for a bird. Despite having wings, the dodo was Unable to fly as They were quite small and too weak to support the rounded body of the dodo. The dodo was also known to have been fearless of the European invaders Ultimately the which led to the demise of the species.

The dodo ate fruit RIPE That fell to the ground, eating the fruit of the tree Tambalacoque (which is Often called the dodo tree). This long-living tree is now in danger of extinction since it depended on the dodo for its own reproduction; its seed can only germinate (sprout) after going through the digestive system of the dodo (the seed has a very thick coating).

 

In it's native forests on the island of Mauritius, the dodo had no natural predators until Humans landed at the end of the 16th century. But It was not just the Humans That hunted this friendly and docile bird, the dodo along with Their nests where the animals hunted by Humans That Brought with them Including dogs, cats and monkeys.

Due to a lack of natural predators, the dodo evolved to making it's nest on the ground where the female dodo would lay a single egg. The incubation period of the dodo egg is estimated to be Between 4 and 6 weeks, when the dodo chick would hatch and be reared by it's mother before Becoming independent as it grew older.

 

The dodo was probably Thriving on the tiny, safe-haven of Mauritius before it was taken over by European settlers hunted and ate the WHO dodo, it's exploiting naturally fearless nature. The animals Brought along to the island Often ransacked the dodo's vulnerable nests, leading to the extinction of the entire species in just over 80 years of human contact.

Dodo Facts
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Genus: Raphus
Scientific Name: Raphus Cucullatus
Type: Bird
Diet: omnivore
Size (H): 1m (3ft)
Weight: 20kg (44lbs)
Life Span: 10-30 years
Lifestyle: Flock
Conservation Status: Extinct
Extinct: mid-late 17th century
Colour: Grey, Black, White, Brown
Skin Type: Feathers
Favourite Food: Fruit Tambalacoque
Habitat: Tropical forest
Average Litter Size: 1
Main Prey: Fruit Tambalacoque
Predators: Humans, Cats, Dogs
Distinctive Features: Hooked beak and Unable to fly