In the year 1598 AD, when Portuguese sailors arrived on the coast of the Mauritius Island, they discovered the Dodo bird, which is a previously unknown bird species. The dodo bird, having been secluded by its island location from human contact, was very welcoming to the new visitors. The sailors mistook the bird’s lack of apprehension as well as its temperate character as imprudence. Accordingly, the sailors labeled the bird “dodo,” which in Portuguese language corresponds to something comparable to a simpleton.
In due course, countless dodo birds were killed by the human visitors, and those that endured the viciousness of man had to further confront the foreign animals that were introduced to them. The introduction of pigs and dogs to the Mauritian eco-system soon developed into the newly brought animals’ natural habitat. By the year 1681, the very last dodo died, and the human race was missing more badly as expected with the bird’s passing. Bird’s Impact on the Environment
The circumstances that resulted to the extinction of the dodo bird emphasize what mankind is capable of bringing and effecting upon the environment, and the capability with which people can distress the restrained balance of an ecosystem by getting rid of an entire specie. Soon after the dodo bird became extinct, the Mauritian calvaria tree at the same time stopped sprouting seeds, and it initially appeared that it would as well face extinction (“The Tragedy of the Dodo – Environmental Impact”).
Although it was not evident at the beginning, the calvaria tree would only germinate seeds after having been consumed and digested by the dodo bird. A number of scientists believe that the dodo bird played an important factor in the dissemination of the seeds of calvaria tree. Physiology The Dodo bird or scientifically known as raphus cucullatus is believed to be the most bizarre looking bird that ever walked the planet. Historically, based on European portraits the dodo bird has been observed as a rather round bird, weighing roughly 20 to 23 kilograms (“The Tragedy of the Dodo – Anatomy”).
However, according to museum curator Andrew Kitchener, the dodo bird could have been as light as between 13 and 17 kilograms (“The Tragedy of the Dodo – Anatomy”). The bird was colored gray, and had a huge hooked beak, and a cloud of white feathers festooned on its back. What differentiates the dodo bird from several other birds is not just its bulk, but as well its incapability of flying. Notwithstanding the bird’s outsized build, the dodo bird had weak, small wings which are not sufficient enough to carry the bird’s whole body into the air.
However, recent study of the bird’s skeleton discloses that the bird did have wings that were basically not utilized for air travel (Brown). The dodo’s legs were stubby and short and were colored yellow. On the end of their legs were four toes, one toe acting as a thumb in the rear and three others in front, each with black, thick claws. It had yellow, small eyes, with head that was a lighter shade of gray than the body. One of the most distinctive descriptions of the dodo was its long, hooked and crooked beak, which was pale yellow or light green in color.
Behavior and Diet Although the bird’s diet is based mostly on assumptions, several sailors’ accounts that its diet includes fish from the ocean and fruit from the trees of the Mauritius (Robert). The bird benefited from its environment since it was surrounded by a variety of foods. The dodo birds also ate rocks and metal, and they were capable to dig under ground just to get the said foodstuff (Robert). The stones swallowed by dodo birds are believed to aid the birds’ digestion.
They have been portrayed as greedy and strong hunters. The dodo bird was considered as a submissive creature. It is a flightless bird and could not even run without bumping its stomach. The bird is illustrated as a lazy creature, and with the exception of its huge beak which could carry out a frightening bite, it practically had no other protections against predators (Brown). From the depiction of this lazy, plump bird, contemporary observers may understand why this bird became a favorite prey. Evolutionary History
Regardless of being the symbol of extinction, the evolutionary account of the dodo is unsuccessfully understood. The tremendous evolutionary alterations it has undergone have even cloaked its closest relatives within the birds, and it has been associated with almost every species of bird. The DNA of dodo was matched up to 1,400 base pairs of gene sequences from 35 species of doves and pigeons, and the Solitaire, an extinct dodo-like bird from neighboring Rodrigues Island, and as well as other bird groups (“Origins and isolation of the Dodo Bird”).
The DNA showed that without a doubt the closest living relative to the dodo was a bird from Southeast Asia named Nicobar pigeon, and the next nearest relatives were New Guinea’s crowned pigeons, and Samoa’s strange tooth-billed pigeon. Conclusion The earth’s bio-diversity must at all times be protected for the present and future generations. Despite the fact that the dodo birds had existed for centuries in the natural environment of Mauritius, the impact of humans in the course of hunting the bird and the introduction of new predators placed an enormous damage upon the friendly birds.
The dodo was such an exceptional specie of bird, that after several centuries, it is still remembered as a representation of the destruction that mankind is capable of bringing into the environment. As the legacy of environmental destruction and the memory of the dodo bird remains, humans must not ignore in paying attention of such an admonition, as there are an increasing number of species continually brought to the point of extinction because of humans’ activities.
Works Cited
Brown, Brittany S. “Raphus cucullatus. ” 2002. Animal Diversity Web. 20 November 2008 <http://animaldiversity. ummz. umich. edu/site/accounts/information/Raphus_cucullatus. html>. “Origins and isolation of the Dodo Bird. ” n. d. Yenra. 20 November 2008 <http://www. yenra. com/dodo-bird/>. Robert. “The Dodo Bird. ” n. d. Pocantico Hills Central Schools. 20 November 2008 <http://www. pocanticohills. org/4thgrade/06/rmdodobird. htm>. “The Tragedy of the Dodo – Anatomy. ” 31 January 2006. David Reilly. Com. 20 November 2008 <http://www. davidreilly. com/dodo/anatomy. html>. “The Tragedy of the Dodo – Environmental Impact. ” 31 January 2006. David Reilly. Com. 20 November 2008 <http://www. davidreilly. com/dodo/impact. html>.