Dodo Extinction

The extinction of the dodo, a flightless bird endemic to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, was a major loss to the kingdom Animalia. It was the first major extinction which was directly related to human activities. In the years to follow, the list of birds that became extinct just grew in length, and the dodo became a mascot of these extinct birds.

Dodo (Raphus cucullatus)

The dodo was a ground nesting, flightless bird, which was endemic to Mauritius. It was believed to be of the same family as the pigeons. An adult would grow on to attain a height of around a meter, and weigh somewhere between 45-50 lbs. The habitat of this species spanned over the forests of Mauritius, and not the shoreline as many people believe. The seeds and fruits that were found in abundance in the forest were the main constituents of its diet. The bird probably never felt the need to fly as it got the food it required on the forest floor itself. As time elapsed, first they lost the desire to fly, and eventually the ability. This turned out to be a major disadvantage for the dodo population, as it left them without any sort of defense against human encroachment over their natural habitat - which eventually drove them to extinction.

Extinction

The extinction of dodo was triggered in 1505, as the Portuguese sailors set their foot on the Island of Mauritius. Before this there were no mammals on the island, which meant that the dodo didn't have any threat of predators. The strategic location of the island was grasped by the European sailors, and soon after, the island became an important stopover for the ships plying on this route. Other than being flightless, the dodo was also not quite wary of humans. This combination turned out to be a curse for the dodo, as it made it easier for the humans to catch and feed on these birds.

The exact appearance of the dodo has been a subject of debate for a long time, as there was no proper evidence in the form of pictures like we have today. The only evidence available was in the form of sketches made by amateur artists. Researchers argue that, though the birds were quite huge in nature, they were not overweight as depicted in most of these pictures. Being a flightless bird meant that the dodo was not able to spread its population to the other islands in the vicinity, and was restricted to Mauritius alone.

Furthermore, domestic animals such as cats, pigs and monkeys were also introduced to the island by humans. As ships were docked on the island, the rats on the ship escaped onto the island, and made it their permanent abode. Though these animals were not able to take on huge dodos, for them the dodo nests on the ground were easy targets as they continued to feed on dodo eggs which were available in plenty.

At the end of the day, excessive hunting for meat, and destruction of nesting sites and eggs by domestic animals introduced by humans led to the decline of dodo population, and brought it to the verge of extinction. Once found in abundance, dodo became a relatively rare bird in Mauritius by the beginning of the 17th century, and its extinction was marked by the last reported sighting that came in 1681. There has been no consensus as far as the exact date of extinction is concerned, as different sources give different dates - within the same year.

Several species have disappeared from the planet over the last 100 years or so, and human interference has a prominent role to play in most of these extinctions. The bad news doesn't just end here, as several hundreds of species are on the verge of extinction. Their population has already been decreased to such an extent that any delay in implementation of proper conservation measures, and these species will meet the same fate as the dodo.