Dodo
Dodo, (Raphus cucullatus), extinct flightless bird of Mauritius (an island of the Indian Ocean), one of the three extinct species that most classifications place with pigeons in the order Columbiformes. The other two species, which were once found on islands of the Indian Ocean, were the solitaires (Raphus solitarius of Réunion and Pezophaps solitaria of Rodrigues). Although a few classifications still assign the dodo and other members of the family to the order Raphiformes, most researchers consider the order outdated.
The birds were first seen by Portuguese sailors about 1507 and were exterminated by humans and the animals they introduced to Mauritius. The dodo was extinct by 1681, the Réunion solitaire by 1746, and the Rodrigues solitaire by about 1790. The dodo is frequently cited as one of the most well-known examples of human-induced extinction and also serves as a symbol of obsolescence with respect to human technological progress.
Natural history and extinction
The dodo, bigger than a turkey, may have weighed as much as 23 kg (about 50 pounds), but estimates taken from morphological studies of known remains place the bird’s weight between 9.5 kg and 14.3 kg (20.9 to 31.5 pounds). It had blue-gray plumage, a big head, a 23-cm (9-inch) blackish bill with reddish sheath forming the hooked tip, small useless wings, stout yellow legs, and a tuft of curly feathers high on its rear end. For comparison, the Réunion solitaire may have been a white version of the dodo, and the Rodrigues solitaire, which had a brownish coloration, was taller and more slender, with a smaller head, a short bill lacking the heavy hook, and wings with knobs.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
All that remains of the dodo is a head and foot at Oxford, a foot in the British Museum, a head in Copenhagen, and skeletons, more or less complete, in various museums of Europe, the United States, and Mauritius. Many bones of solitaires have also been preserved. An analysis of the dodo’s remains suggests that the bird was adapted to forage on seeds, and it likely ate fruit and snails.
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Class: Aves
- Order: Columbiformes
- Family: Columbidae
- Genus: Raphus
Extinct species (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources)
A number of forces contributed to the bird’s extinction. Although adult dodos were hunted for their meat by Dutch sailors, the bird’s demise was further hastened by the release of other non-native predators (such as pigs, dogs, cats, and rats) that accompanied the sailors on their voyages. These invasive animals roamed the island and preyed opportunistically on eggs, fledglings, and juveniles (see also invasive species). Like many species endemic to remote isolated islands, the dodo was unprepared to deal with the arrival of predatory mammals, and, critically, its wings were not adapted for a quick flight to safety during an attack (see also endemic species). Dodos were also unaware of the threat that each of these predators posed, and they did not avoid them. As a result of its naivete, the dodo gained the reputation of being easy to capture.
De-extinction efforts
The dodo’s prominent role in bringing attention to the extinction of species, coupled with advances in genetics that could allow for its resurrection (de-extinction), have led scientists to consider the possibility of bringing the dodo back. The sequencing of the dodo genome by geneticists in 2016 reinvigorated this discussion as well as the ethical debate of using de-extinction techniques to alter natural history (see also DNA sequencing).
The biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences announced in 2025 that it had succeeded in growing primordial germ cells (that is, the precursors of gametes [sperm and egg cells]) from the Nicobar pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica), a close living relative of the dodo. The company plans to introduce these cells into chickens that have been genetically modified to carry them. Using this process, the company expects to use these chickens as surrogates to produce a colony of pigeons from which gene edits can be made, which could result in offspring with some dodo-like physical characteristics. Whether such gene editing techniques can truly bring species such as the dodo back from extinction remains a matter of significant debate (see also dire wolf).
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
