Alive frozen dodo bird11/19/2023 The Pheasant pigeon ( Otidiphaps nobilis) still has uncertain evolutionary relationships and seems to fill the ecological niche of a small pheasant in their environment in the rainforests of New Guinea. Several other large pigeons have been suggested to perhaps have some distant genetic affinity with the dodo. All sightings were of a single adult bird.” – See: “Over 2.5 years of field work in Samoan forests, I have only sighted ten Manumea in the wild. “Surveys suggest that less than 200 birds remain, but the actual population size maybe much lower than this,” biologist Rebecca Stirnemann told in a recent interview. (Illustration of the tooth-billed pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris), also known as the manumea. Other largely ground-dwelling pigeons have not faired well in the presence of humans on island systems. The lack of mammalian herbivores and predators on Mauritius allowed the dodo to give up flying and rapidly evolve its large size.īut sadly, the dodo isn’t the only island-dwelling species in the region that we caused to go extinct. I’m guessing you’ll be surprised to discover that the dodo is basically a giant ground-dwelling pigeon that looks like it’s on steroids, and that genetic studies place it in the pigeon and dove family ( Columbidae). Regardless, it doesn’t indicate that a great deal of esteem was accorded the dodo from the very beginning. The etymology (i.e., origin and meaning of words) of “dodo” is not entirely certain, but may be related to the Dutch words, Dodoor (“sluggard”) or Dodaars (“fat arse” or “knot arse”). Before you begin your advanced studies, let’s have a short introduction and class discussion about dodos. The article and illustrations presented there form a nice piece of dodo scholarship with numerous supporting sources of information. The world’s public encyclopedia, Wikipedia, is an excellent source of detailed information on the dodo. It will surprise some of you where we will next conduct our studies (see: Wikipedia – Dodo). Now let’s extend your dodo education and begin to make you a real expert. To get your basic dodo education, go to LiveScience: Dodo Bird Skeleton Reveals Long-Lost Secrets in 3D Scan. After that, return here for some advanced dodo education, what you might call your dodo capstone course.īut when you do come back, put on your field boots, because we’re going to step right into some dodo doo doo – that is, scientific controversies about dodos. That’s certainly the basics and about all you need to know, that is, unless you want the certificate.įor the next step in your education, let’s outsource some basic dodo biology succinctly covered by others. We also turned loose rats, pigs, dogs, cats, cattle, deer, and other non-native animals like the crab-eating macaque ( Macaca fascicularis) that helped us with the easy task of extinction by consuming eggs, chicks, or competing directly with dodos for foods such as seeds, fruits, and possibly even crabs and shellfish.Īnd just in case that wasn’t enough, we cleared forests and destroyed habitat. The short version of the story? We ate’m all up. This large flightless bird was extinct within less than a century of its being discovered in 1598 by Dutch sailers on the island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The hapless dodo is an icon of animal extinction and dim-witted dodo-isms (e.g., “dead as a dodo” or “go the way of the dodo”). Maybe use it as a pick-up line the next time you’re in the bar: “ You know I’m also a certified dodo biologist.” Hang it on your office wall to impress friends and family. Plus, if you pass the qualifying exam at the end of this lecture, you’ll earn a free certificate documenting your competency as a dodo biologist. It’ll be an interesting addition to your resume and make a great party conversation starter. But forgive me, I’m getting far ahead of myself.įirst, let’s start today’s class by making you a qualified dodo biologist. You know, the kind exhibited by anti-science politicians. Too bad paleontologists can’t help us better understand the fossilized human mind. Fortunately for us, the chronically curious make amazing scientific discoveries that challenge our preconceptions about animal extinctions (e.g., the weak, the dim witted, the poorly adapted, the inevitably doomed, etc.).ĭodos are back in the news as paleontologists just published 3-D laser scans of their skeletal anatomy. Ever wonder about the knee caps of extinct dodos ( Raphus cucullatus)? Thought not.
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