The Dodo (Raphus cucullatus), Dronte or Dodaersen in Dutch, was a species of bird endemic to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean (Naish, 2014). It is believed to have evolved from pigeon species that arrived in the Mascarene Islands from Madagascar or Africa (Staub, 1996). The regular availability of energy-rich palm fruit and the absence of natural predators may have induced the Dodo, over time, to gain weight and lose the ability to lift off. The gradual reduction of its wings progressed until the bird was permanently grounded (Staub, 1996), and it developed an enlarged olfactory system (Gold et al., 2016).

Its strange appearance made taxonomic classification difficult. It was confused with erroneous descriptions of albatrosses (Naish, 2014), emus, Casuarius sp., and ostriches (Strickland and Melville, 1848; Turvey and Cheke, 2008). Even the vague descriptions of early navigators led some to doubt its existence (Turvey and Cheke, 2008). In 1841, Professor J. T. Reinhardt, after examining a Dodo skull he discovered at the Copenhagen Zoological Museum, was the first to mention that the bird might have evolved from a pigeon (Staub, 1996). It was a close relative of the Réunion Solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria), another bird from the Mascarene Islands that also went extinct just a century later (Turvey and Cheke, 2008). Today, its relationship to the Columbidae family is almost universally accepted (Naish, 2014). Molecular analyses show a close relationship between the Dodo and the Réunion Solitaire with the genera Caloenas, Goura, and Didunculus (Naish, 2014; Gold et al., 2016). The Nicobar pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) is believed to be the closest living relative (Gold et al., 2016).

Hunting is one of the reasons for its extinction, but even more so the predation of its eggs by domestic animals and mammals introduced by humans, such as dogs, cats, rats, monkeys, and pigs (Strickland and Melville, 1848; Cheke, 1987 in Turvey and Cheke, 2008). Its extinction occurred just 100 years after the arrival of settlers on the island, and unlike many other species from the Mascarene Islands now extinct, the disappearance of the Dodo was not documented by contemporary observers (Turvey and Cheke, 2008). One theory is that the European scientific community at that time was not widely aware of the reality of extinction. Georges Cuvier conclusively demonstrated at the end of the 18th century that many quadruped fossils like mammoths and mastodons were distinct from living species. The Dodo became extinct almost a century and a half before Cuvier’s demonstration of the reality of extinction (Turvey and Cheke, 2008). On the other hand, it is assumed that those responsible for its extinction were aware of what they had done or even deliberately exterminated the species. These are some of the reasons that made the Dodo one of the greatest icons of human-caused extinctions (Turvey and Cheke, 2008).

In 1635 it was called Cygnus cucullatus by Nieremberg based on descriptions that characterized it as "hooded." In 1758 it was named Struthio cucullatus by Linnaeus due to its resemblance to ostriches. In 1760, Brisson created the genus Raphus, based on bustards. In 1767 it was called Didus ineptus by Linnaeus, which means "inept dodo," and due to priority issues, it became a synonym for Raphus cucullatus (Strickland and Melville, 1848). Probably due to its extreme trust in humans, it was considered a less intelligent bird than its relatives, although it has now been shown that it may have been as intelligent as other pigeons (Gold et al., 2016). The name "Dodo" may derive from "Dodoor," which in Dutch means "lazy," or it could come from "Doudo," which in Portuguese means "silly" or "simple." But it seems much more likely to derive from the Dutch term "Dodars," which might refer to expressiveness rather than elegance (Strickland and Melville, 1848). Smith (1807, in Turvey and Cheke, 2008) provided what might be the most prejudiced perspective in his description of the species: "The Dodo, Didus, is a bird that inhabits some of the islands of the East Indies. Its history is little known, but if the representation is fair, it is the most ugly and repulsive of birds, resembling one of those bloated and uncomfortable people who, through a long course of vicious and gross indulgences, become a scandal to the human figure."

Based on the collection of data and descriptions, it is suggested that in the summer, during the wet season, the Dodo was more agile and slim, and gained weight to survive the dry season, becoming large, heavy, and sluggish in winter. Probably from January to May, there were no more fruits to feed on, and the only resource for the Dodo would have been to survive by eating root bulbs, possibly fallen leaves it found with its strong legs and claws (Staub, 1996).

Below is a series of records and mentions of the species:

Between September 19 and October 2, 1598, entering summer, in Van Neck´s expedition they commented: "There was a bird as big or bigger than a swan, but very different in shape: for its head was large, covered as if it had a membrane resembling a hood. Its beak was not flat, but thick and oblong, yellowish near the head, with a black tip. The upper jaw was hooked and curved, and on the lower part, there was a bluish point between yellow and black. It was covered with short feathers, and had no wings, but instead had four or five long black spines. The back of its body was very thick, and instead of a tail, it had four or five curly, crispy feathers of a gray color. Its legs were thicker than long, the upper part up to the knee was covered in black feathers, and the lower part and feet were yellowish. The feet were divided into four toes, the three longest pointing forward, and the fourth, which was shorter, turned backward, and all had black claws. The sailors called it a "repugnant bird," partly because after cooking it for a long time, its meat did not become tender, but remained tough and indigestible (except for the chest and stomach, where no unpleasant taste was found). Instead, they could obtain a lot of pigeons, which they found more delicate and tasty, so it is no wonder that they despised this bird. They also said that some stones were found in its stomach" (Strickland and Melville, 1848; Staub, 1996).

Between September 30 and October 20, 1601, in summer, Van Heemskerk commented: "The bird has a body like an ostrich, a large head, and on its head, a veil as if it were wearing a hood." Meanwhile, Reyer Corneliszoon commented: "They walked upright on their feet as if they were humans. The bird was twice the size of a penguin. They often have stones in their stomach as big as eggs, sometimes bigger" (Staub, 1996).

Between late January and August 1602, in winter, Wilhelm Van Westzanen was the first to call it "Dodaersen or Dronten," and commented: "On the island of Mauritius, there is an amazingly shaped bird, called Dronte. On July 25, Captain Wan Westzanen and his sailors brought back very fat Dodos that tasted good to the crew. Those left over were salted to be preserved. On August 4, 50 large Dodos were captured. The bird is slow and stupid, easily caught by hunters. Its meat, especially from the chest, is fatty, edible, and so abundant that three or four specimens have sometimes been enough to feed a hundred sailors. If not well cooked, or old, they are harder to digest. When there were leftovers, they were salted and stored among the ship´s provisions. In another three-day hunt inland, other crews captured 20 more Dodos" (Strickland and Melville, 1848; Staub, 1996).

Between January 1 and 27, 1606, in summer, Cornelius Matelieff added: "It usually had a stone as big as a fist in its stomach" (Strickland and Melville, 1848; Staub, 1996). He also saw a large number of rats and monkeys, probably predators of young Dodos and their eggs (Staub, 1996).

Between November 26 and December 24, 1607, in summer, two ships under Van der Hagen’s command stayed a few weeks on the island of Mauritius, and the crews celebrated with an abundance of "turtles, dodars, pigeons, grey parrots, and other animals." They are said to have salted large amounts of turtles and dodars for consumption during the voyage (Strickland and Melville, 1848; Staub, 1996).

Between November 7 and December 24, 1611, in summer, Pieter W. Verhuffen called the Dodo "Totersten," described it almost the same as Van Neck’s description, added that his sailors killed many of them for food, and that if men were not careful, the Dodos would inflict severe injuries on their attackers with their powerful beaks" (Strickland and Melville, 1848; Staub, 1996).

Between June 10 and 30, 1627, in winter, Thomas Herbert commented: "Let us mention the Dodo, whose body is large and round, its corpulence gives it a slow and lazy walk, about 50 pounds in weight, its sight is more interesting than its taste. It looks melancholic as if lamenting that nature gave it such small wings for such a large body. Some with a dark part covering their head, others with the top of their head bald and whitish as if it had been washed. The beak, with openings from the middle to the tip, is a yellow-green color, its eyes are round and bright, and its fluffy plumage has a tail made of three or four short, thick black feathers with powerful toes" (Strickland and Melville, 1848; Staub, 1996).

Between July 15 and 31, 1638, in winter, François Cauche commented: "I have seen in the island of Mauritius birds larger than swans, with no feathers, only covered in black, all round. They have a rounded skull, curly feathers that adjust in number according to their age. Instead of wings, they have similar, black, curved feathers. They have no tongue, and their large beak hangs downward. They are tall on their legs, which are scaly with three spurs on each foot. They have a cry that sounds anxious. They are not as tasty as flamingos and ducks. They have only one egg, as big as a cent roll, and against it, they lay a white stone the size of a chicken egg. They lay their egg in a grass nest in the forest. The Dodo’s egg is as large as a pink pelican egg. If one kills a young one, a gray stone will be found in its crop" (Strickland and Melville, 1848; Staub, 1996).

Between February and May 1662, in summer, Volkert Evertsz commented: "Birds larger than geese but unable to fly. They had small wings but were fast runners" (Staub, 1996). This was the last generally accepted reliable record of the Dodo (Cheke, 2006; Gold et al., 2016).

In 1674, Dutch Governor Hugo commented: "A group sent to capture escaped slaves returned to Grand Port Lodge with a young man named Simon, who had spent eleven years in freedom, from 1663 to 1674, and reported that during those years, he had seen ´Dodaersen´ only twice" (Staub, 1996; Cheke, 2006). However, since the name ´Dodaersen´ had been transferred to the Red Rail (Aphanapteryx bonasia) in the 1660s, it cannot be assured that Hugo or the slave were using the term in its original sense (Cheke, 2006).

It must be considered that the island of Mauritius was settled, abandoned, and later reoccupied by colonists without knowledge of the species (Turvey and Cheke, 2008). The Dodo seems to have been abundant until the 1630s based on all navigator reports (Strickland and Melville, 1848), and based on these, no further mentions of abundance appear. A few years after the last reliable record, the island was permanently evacuated by the Dutch, and later in 1721, it was recolonized by the French, who never mentioned the species again (Turvey and Cheke, 2008).

Based on the last confirmed observation dated in 1662, a statistical method was used to establish the actual extinction time of the Dodo, which turned out to be almost 30 years after its last observation, in 1690 (Roberts and Solow, 2003).

Figure No. 1. Replica of a Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) exhibited at Tecnópolis, Av. de los Constituyentes, Vicente López, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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