Dodo

Dodo
Raphus cucullatus

The Dodo is perhaps one of the world’s most famous extinct animals. This flightless bird was only found on the island of Mauritius (it now appears on their coat of arms), where it was first recorded by Dutch sailors in 1598. It was extinct in well under 100 years, the victim of human hunting, habitat depletion and competition with introduced species.

Together with their close relatives, the Reunion Solitaire Raphus solitarius and the Rodrigues Solitaire Pezophaps solitaria, they formed a subfamily of the pigeons: the Raphinae. All three members of this subfamily are extinct.

We don’t know exactly what the Dodo looked like. No complete specimen survives in any museum collection and the 17th century drawings and paintings vary considerably in size, shape and colour. It probably grew to just over 70 centimetres tall.

The closest living relative of the dodo is the Nicobar Pigeon from the Nicobar Islands, east of India, and several islands in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific. You can see this pigeon in one of the tall showcases at the other end of the exhibition.

Extinct, previously found on Mauritius until 17th century