Home Amphibians Birds Fish Mammals Reptiles

 
 
Dodo

                        DODO, common name applied to a large, flightless bird, Raphus cucullatus, 
                        belonging to the order Columbiformes. Now extinct, the dodo once inhabited
                        the forests of the island of Mauritius. About the size of a turkey, the bird
                        had a large hooked bill, undeveloped wings and tail, and short, thick, yellow
                        legs. It laid a single large egg in a ground nest made of grass. The dodo
                        was first reported in 1598 by Dutch colonizers,  who characterized it as
                        a sluggish bird unafraid of humans. Dodos were last observed in 1681. The
                        speedy extinction of the species is attributed in part to domestic animals
                        imported to Mauritius by the settlers; animals such as hogs escaped
                        to the woods, multiplied, and destroyed many of the dodo eggs. The
                        name dodo is derived from the Portuguese word duodo, meaning "silly" 
                        or "stupid." In present-day usage the word dodo is applied to a 
                        simple-minded person unable to adjust to new situations and ideas.