The dodo

Dodo Fact file

Name: Dodo
Status: Extinct

Habitat: Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean. This was the dodo's only home.

Description: Large flightless bird. We don't know exactly what it looked like. We have to rely on old pictures and the few bones and skins we have left - like the ones we have on display in the Museum.

Reasons for extinction:
The dodo only lived on one island - Mauritius. When sailors arrived in the sixteenth century they found that the dodo was very easy to catch, and even though it didn't taste very nice, many were eaten.
The dodo's natural habitat was almost completely destroyed after people started settling on Mauritius. And when pigs, cats and monkeys were introduced, they added to the problem by eating the dodo and its eggs.
The last confirmed sighting of a dodo was in 1681 and by the end of the 17th century there were no dodos left.

Image bank - click on the pictures for more information.

Find out more:
Find out more about the dodo at our Museum (PDF, 240Kb)
Find out more about dodos and other extinct birds
Another story of the dodo
Find out more about Mauritius
Print out your own dodo image page (PDF, 197Kb)

Find out about the extinct and endangered animals in the Museum.

Hilda the hippo Dodo
Coelacanth
Thylacine
Blue whale
Golden toad
Giant panda
Passenger pigeon
Schaus' swallowtail

Go to the Homepage to find out about hippos and the causes of extinction.