DODO (Raphus Cucullatus)

The Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a large, flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius that became extinct in the late 17th century, shortly after its 1598 discovery. It is genetically related to pigeons and doves, and its closest relative is the likewise extinct Rodrigues Solitaire, the two forming the Raphinae subfamily. The closest living relative is the Nicobar Pigeon. A white Dodo was believed to have existed on the nearby island of Réunion, but this is now known to be incorrect.

The Dodo was about one metre (3.3 ft) tall and may have weighed 10–18 kg (22–40 lb) in the wild. Its external appearance is evidenced only by paintings and written accounts from the 17th century. Because these vary considerably, and only a few sketches are known to have been drawn from life, its exact appearance remains a mystery. The same is true of its habitat and behaviour. It was depicted with brownish grey plumage, yellow feet, and a tuft of tail feathers, a grey, naked head, and a beak coloured black, yellow and green. It is assumed that the Dodo became flightless because of abundant food sources and the absence of predators on Mauritius.

The Dodo was first mentioned by Dutch sailors in 1598. Hereafter the bird was preyed upon by hungry sailors, their domesticated animals, and other invasive species introduced during that time, and the last credible sighting is from 1662. The extinction was not immediately noticed, and some considered it a mythological creature until the 19th century, when research was conducted on surviving remains of four specimens brought to Europe in the early 17th century. Since then, a large amount of subfossil material has been collected from Mauritius, mostly from the Mare aux Songes swamp. The extinction of the Dodo within a century of its discovery called attention to the previously unrecognised human involvement in extinction.

The Dodo achieved widespread recognition due to a notable role in Alice in Wonderland, and has since become a fixture in popular culture, sometimes as a symbol of extinction and obsolescence.