The dodo was a flightless bird that lived on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It stood about a meter tall, weighed around 20 kilograms, and lived on fruit that had fallen from trees. The dodo was endemic to Mauritius, meaning it evolved there over millions of years in isolation from other landmasses. This isolation meant the dodo never needed to fly or develop a fear of predators. As a result, it was easy prey when humans first arrived on Mauritius in the 16th century.
When did dodos go extinct?
The dodo is believed to have gone extinct around 1690. The last confirmed sighting was in 1662. Dodos lived exclusively on the island of Mauritius and a nearby island called Réunion. Mauritius had no human inhabitants prior to being colonized by the Dutch in 1598. The Dutch named the island after Prince Maurice of Nassau. Soon after their arrival, Dutch sailors began hunting dodos for food. More intensive hunting followed when the Dutch introduced pigs and macaques to Mauritius, which preyed on dodo eggs.
In 1638, the Dutch abandoned Mauritius, leaving behind the introduced predators. The island was taken over by the French in 1715 and renamed Isle de France. More settlers continued hunting dodos, clearing forests for agriculture, and introducing invasive species. Dodos were easy to catch due to having no natural predators and an inability to fly away from danger. Hunting combined with habitat loss caused by deforestation and predation by invasive species accelerated the dodo’s demise. The last confirmed sighting of a live dodo was made in 1662. Most scientists agree dodos were extinct by 1690.
What did dodos look like?
The dodo had distinctive physical features including:
- Grayish brown plumage
- Large blackish bill with reddish coverings
- Small wings relative to body size
- Stout yellow legs
- Curved tail feathers
- Black quill-like feathers on its rear end
- Estimated 1 meter tall and 20 kilogram weight
The dodo’s most notable feature was its large, hooked beak. The beak was about 23 centimeters long and had a curved tip. The upper part of the beak was covered by a horny sheath. The dodo had thick, sturdy legs and feet to support its heavy body on the ground. Its wings were tiny relative to its body size, rendering the dodo flightless. Most depictions show the dodo with a round, chubby body, though the accuracy of these representations has been debated.
Why did the dodo go extinct?
There are several key reasons why dodos went extinct so rapidly after humans discovered them:
- Hunting by humans – Dodos were easy prey due to their inability to fly and lack of fear of humans.
- Habitat loss – Forests were cut down and nesting grounds destroyed.
- Invasive species – Pigs, macaques, rats, and other animals introduced by humans ate dodo eggs.
- Isolation – Mauritius was home to the world’s only dodos, who had lived protected in isolation.
- Slow breeding – Dodos only laid one egg per year, hampering population recovery.
Hunting by Dutch and French sailors was a major factor in the demise of the dodo. However, habitat loss and invasive species also played critical roles. Isolation meant Mauritius was the only home of dodos, so once gone from there they were gone completely. Their slow breeding cycle also hindered population recovery. These forces combined led to the rapid extinction of dodos within less than a century after being discovered by humans.
Who specifically hunted the last dodo?
Unfortunately, records do not identify the specific person or group who killed the last dodo. However, we know that both Dutch and French settlers on Mauritius hunted dodos for food and sport in the 17th century. As more forests were cleared, the dodo’s population shrank until the last dodos could only be found in the remotest parts of the island. Based on these trends, historians have proposed some likely candidates for having hunted the last dodo:
- Dutch sailors camped inland – Crews trekking inland to find food may have encountered the last dodos.
- French explorers – Teams surveying the island interior could have hunted remaining dodos.
- Escaped slaves – Runaway slaves formed camps in the island interior and may have preyed on dodos.
- Marooned sailors – Shipwrecked or abandoned sailors stranded on Mauritius may have survived on dodos.
While we do not have a name, it was likely a combination of Dutch sailors, French explorers, escaped slaves, and marooned sailors penetrating further inland that eventually encountered and hunted the last surviving dodos.
When did scientists realize dodos were extinct?
It took over 180 years from the dodo’s extinction for scientists to realize the bird was gone forever:
- 1681 – English researcher John Ray believed dodos may already be extinct but was not certain.
- 1755 – French naturalist Comte de Buffon concluded dodos were recently extinct.
- 1833 – Danish zoologist Johannes Theodor Reinhardt formally declared dodos extinct after visiting Mauritius and finding no evidence of their existence.
- 1866 – British ornithologist Hugh Edwin Strickland confirmed the dodo’s extinction in his monograph The Dodo and Its Kindred.
There are no confirmed firsthand accounts of dodos after 1662, but rumors persisted of dodos surviving in remote parts of Mauritius. Scientists did not completely rule out their existence until thorough surveys of the island in the 19th century found no trace of living dodos or recent remains. Acceptance that the dodo was gone forever did not occur until over 150 years after the last sighting.
How many dodos were killed?
It is difficult to estimate the pre-extinction population size of dodos and the total number killed. However, scientists have proposed the following figures:
- Pre-settlement population – 10,000 to 12,000 dodos living before Dutch arrival in 1598.
- Killed within 100 years – Likely over 90% of the population (at least 9,000 dodos) killed between 1598 and 1690.
- Killed per year – Estimates range from 150 to over 1,000 dodos killed annually at the height of hunting.
- Surviving in 1680 – Perhaps only 100 or fewer dodos remaining shortly before extinction.
These estimates indicate at least 9,000 dodos were probably killed within a century of Dutch settlement. Intensive hunting combined with predation by invasive species and habitat loss led to the annihilation of the dodo within less than 100 years.
What did dodo meat taste like?
Contemporary accounts provide clues about the taste and texture of dodo meat:
- Tough and hard to chew – Dodos had thick skin and little fat, making the meat tough.
- Unsavory taste – Their meat was considered unappetizing, being greasy with an unpleasant flavor.
- Used in stews – Long cooking in stews helped tenderize the meat.
- Breast meat best – The breast was the most edible portion, though still very chewy.
- Used as ship provisions – Despite poor taste, dodos were hunted and salted to provision ships.
Overall, historical reports indicate that while dodo meat was eaten, especially by sailors, it was not particularly palatable. The meat was so tough that even prolonged stewing could not fully tenderize it. The flavor was described as oily and distasteful. But with no other large meat source on Mauritius, dodos were hunted vigorously regardless of their poor taste, contributing to their rapid demise.
Why did it take so long to realize dodos were extinct?
There are several reasons why it took over 150 years to realize dodos were extinct:
- Remote habitat – Dodos survived longer in hard-to-access interior forests.
- Scant remains – Very few dodo specimens were preserved after their extinction.
- Slow communication – News from distant Mauritius traveled slowly to Europe.
- Wishful thinking – People were reluctant to accept the extinction and held out hope.
- Early science – Extinction was not an established scientific concept until the 1800s.
With dodos restricted to remote areas, few physical remains, slow transit times for news, and reluctance to declare extinction, it was long thought dodos may still exist. Developing scientific thinking also contributed, as extinction was not widely accepted until the 19th century. These factors conspired such that acceptance of the dodo’s demise lagged far behind the actual event.
What remnants of dodos exist today?
Despite there being few records of dodos from before their extinction, some dodo remains survive today in museums and private collections around the world:
- Complete skeletons – Only 2-3 complete dodo skeletons exist, composed of actual bones.
- Individual bones – Scattered individual dodo bones number less than 100 specimens.
- Taxidermy specimens – Around a dozen mounted dodo skins exist, consisting of feathers and reconstructed bodies.
- Heads and beaks – A few dozen preserved dodo heads and beaks remain.
- Clawed feet – Several preserved feet with skin and claws remain.
Many existing dodo remains are in European museums, such as the Natural History Museum in London and Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Mauritius and its neighboring island Reunion also hold dodo bones and specimens. These scattered remnants provide vital clues about the dodo’s appearance and biology.
Where was the last wild dodo seen?
The last accepted sighting of a wild dodo was made in 1662 by Dutch settler Volkert Evertsz near the town of Vieux Grand Port in Mauritius’ southeastern coastal region. Based on this, the last wild dodos were likely restricted to the woodlands, swamps, and hills behind Vieux Grand Port. This coastal area contained freshwater springs where the last dodos probably gathered. They were finally hunted out even from this remote southeastern corner of Mauritius within several decades after this final sighting.
Previous accounts indicate dodos had disappeared from the populated southwest regions of Mauritius by the 1650s. Persecuted by humans, wild dodos gradually retreated deeper into the inaccessible interior. The southeast then became their final refuge before hunters penetrated even there, culminating in the 1662 sighting of the last wild, free-living dodos before the species was completely wiped out.
What killed the last captive dodo?
The last captive dodo is believed to have died around 1675 in the menagerie of Dutch Governor Van der Parre in Mauritius. Based on records of the time, the dodo likely died due to one of the following reasons:
- Poor diet – Fed inappropriate foods like wheat bread, the dodo became ill.
- Stress – Confinement and interaction with humans caused chronic stress.
- Injury – The dodo may have sustained physical injury from confinement.
- Disease – Unknown illnesses related to captivity likely afflicted the bird.
Keeping the dodo as a captive novelty likely doomed the already fragile bird. Away from its natural habitat and diet, vulnerable to stress and injury, the last captive dodo simply languished away. Its death marked the final chapter in the rapid decline of its species, which vanished less than a century after humans arrived on Mauritius.
Could we clone dodos in the future?
While extinct, traces of dodo DNA do persist, fueling speculation that dodos could be cloned someday. But many obstacles stand in the way:
- Degraded DNA – Most remaining DNA is too fragmented for cloning uses.
- Lack of close relatives – No living birds are close enough genetically to provide suitable host eggs.
- Behavioral knowledge – Behavior of dodos had limited documentation and study.
- Habitat loss – Mauritius’ forests have been so altered dodos could not survive if cloned.
Advancing technology may one day enable cloning with degraded DNA. But with minimal habitat left and gaps in our knowledge of dodo behavior, successfully returning them to the wild would remain highly challenging. However, new gene editing approaches could possibly be used to insert dodo traits into living birds to recreate their appearance.
Should humans have saved dodos from extinction?
Arguments can be made both for and against whether humans should have intervened to save dodos:
For saving dodos:
- Prevented biodiversity loss and ecosystem disruption
- Retained their ecological roles dispersing seeds
- Enabled further study of their behaviors if they survived
- Fulfilled ethical responsibility since humans caused their demise
Against saving dodos:
- Humans lacked knowledge and techniques to save them effectively
- Intervention can be considered unethical interference with nature
- Their ecosystem niche was already lost so efforts may have failed
- Resources may have had better conservation use elsewhere
Perspectives differ on whether saving dodos should have been attempted through captive breeding or other interventions. Some argue that humans have an ethical duty to preserve biodiversity loss when able. Others contend intervention can disrupt natural processes. But ultimately, humans at the time lacked the expertise to successfully intervene, and the dodo’s extinction was irreversible.
Could dodos have survived if conditions were different?
Hypothetically, dodos may have survived if certain conditions on Mauritius had differed:
- No human colonization – With humans never arriving, dodos could have survived undisturbed.
- Slower deforestation – More gradual habitat loss could have given dodos time to adapt.
- No invasive species – Without predatory pigs, monkeys, and rats, eggs may have survived.
- Restrained hunting – If hunting had been regulated, it may not have eliminated them.
- Early conservation – Establishing protected areas could have saved the species.
In reality, the combination of human colonization, rapid deforestation, abundant invasive predators, overhunting, and lack of conservation doomed dodos in short order. But had one or more of these threats been reduced, remnants of the population may have endured for some time, if not indefinitely. Sadly, in the 1600s, essentially every factor that could eliminate the dodo aligned in quick succession.
Conclusion
The dodo serves as a classic cautionary tale of human-driven extinction. Science has pieced together that unchecked hunting, habitat loss, and invasive species wiped out the dodo in less than a century after humans reached Mauritius. Records indicate sailors and settlers mercilessly hunted dodos, which lacked fear of people and the ability to fly away. Forest clearing simultaneously destroyed the dodos’ nesting and foraging grounds. And introduced species like pigs and monkeys devoured dodo eggs and young.
By 1681, scientists already suspected the dodo was extinct, though confirmation took 150 more years due to sparse evidence. The dodo vanished before conservation concepts fully developed. But had regulations, protected areas, and control of invasives been applied decades sooner, humanity may have prevented the extinction of this iconic, harmless bird. The dodo now symbolizes the terrible impacts people can have on naive island species unless proper precautions are taken. Increased awareness, technology improvements, stricter protections, and vigilance against invaders provide hope that human activities need not drive future species the way of the dodo.
