New Study Challenges Dodo’s Extincture Myth

• Researchers from the University of Southampton, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and the Natural History Museum have challenged the common view that the dodo was a slow, bloated animal doomed to extinction.
• The study, published in the August issue of the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, argues that the dodo may have been swift birds that thrived in the forest.
• The dodo and its sister species, the solitaire, were flightless birds endemic to the forests of Mauritius.
• The dodo’s extinction was not due to lack of natural predators, but due to their prized status as food.
• The study confirmed the dodo belonged to the Columbidae family of pigeons and doves, a crucial step in understanding their biology.
• The researchers found an eyewitness account by a Dutch mariner named Volkert Evertsz, who described a bird he called “dodderse” to a scholar in 1668.
• The dodo’s anatomy, which reflected its ability to run, was reflected in the dodo’s anatomy.
• The study is planning a major new project with scientists from around the world, including Mauritius, to investigate whether the dodo was truly ‘doomed’ to extinction.