The Dodo is perhaps one of the world’s most famous extinct animals. This flightless bird was only found on the island of Mauritius, where it was first recorded by Dutch sailors in 1598. It became extinct in well under a hundred years, the victim of human hunting, habitat depletion and competition with introduced species.
There are two Dodo pelvises on display in Wild Planet. We don’t know exactly what the Dodo looked like. No complete specimen survives in any museum collection and the 17th century drawings and paintings vary considerably in size, shape and colour. DNA has revealed that the Nicobar Pigeon is the Dodo’s closest living relative.
