People widely recognize the dodo bird's reputation. For several years, people have considered this flightless bird dim-witted. However, evolutionary biologists are now challenging that claim. New research suggests that perhaps the dodo bird wasn't as stupid as we all thought.
The Dodo Bird: A Misleading Reputation
New insights published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society reveal how these birds may have earned their poor reputation. They suggest that the dodo bird went extinct very rapidly. It was so rapid that many 18th—and 19th-century central naturalists believed it was mythological. The paper continues, "So rapid and so complete was their extinction that the vague descriptions given of them [Dodo and Solitaire] by early navigators were long regarded as fabulous or exaggerated."
Since people knew so little and viewed the dodo bird as a myth, it's no wonder that certain details about the bird became exaggerated. This exaggeration could apply to their supposed limited intelligence. The University of Southampton points out the irony of the situation when they mention, " More has been written about the Dodo than any other bird, yet virtually nothing is known about it in life."
New Emerging Information
With each passing year, we gain new technology and thus new ways to learn about this extinct animal. While many people view the dodo bird as a fat, slow, and dumb animal, researchers are now challenging that perception. Dr. Young states, "Few written accounts of the live Dodos say it was a fast-moving animal that loved the forest."
Furthermore, Dr. Gostling adds that evidence from bone specimens suggests that the dodo was "exceptionally powerful" and "almost certainly a very active, very fast animal." Although they had speed, no mammalian predators lived where the dodo lived. So, the dodos were no match when humans arrived and brought predators such as cats, rats, and pigs.
A Brighter Future Ahead
Apart from correcting misconceptions and learning new information, there are other benefits to digging deeper into the dodo bird mystery. Researchers at Southampton University are conducting a study that could help save birds currently in danger of becoming extinct. Dr. Markus Heller, a coauthor of the paper, claimed:
"We are not just looking back in time — our research could help save today's endangered brids too. It's like solving a 300-year-old puzzle, the soultion might just help us prevent more birds from gonig the way of the Dodo."
Additionally, researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are now one step closer to bringing back this extinct creature. According to the NY Post, "the recent discovery of a 'fantastic specimen' of the dodo DNA was the last clue needed to complete the extinct bird's genome."
Scientists conducting all of this new research have just begun to uncover the secrets surrounding the dodo bird.
