The Dodo’s new look
by Fernando G. BaptistA,
Monica Serrano, and patricia healy
A picture of the extinct, flightless bird that has inspired artists and tall tales for centuries is slowly coming into sharper relief. Modern scientific tools and newly discovered bones, in combination with historic sightings and previously studied specimens, are giving scientists fresh insights into the mysterious bird’s anatomy and life cycle on Mauritius, where it once thrived.
PUBLISHED JULY 21, 2020
AFRICA
MAURITIUS
INDIAN
OCEAN
This head shape (dark), sketched in the 1600s, has long served as the dodo’s artistic—and inaccurate—image.
SHARPER SENSES
Brain proportions suggest that dodoes, long considered dumb, were as intelligent as pigeons. Dodo and Rodrigues solitaire brains also had large olfactory bulbs, suggesting a keen sense of smell for finding food. (Brain art at right not to scale.)
Olfactory bulb
Rodrigues solitaire
Nicobar pigeon
Thick, spongy
bone over the
forebrain posi-
tioned the dodo’s
brain differently
from most other
birds’ brains.
Skeleton find
Scans in 3D of a rare, nearly intact skeleton have shown scientists the dodo’s true bone structure and shape.
New shape
22.5 lb
Old shape
46.3 lb
Mauritius giant domed tortoise
Cylindraspis inepta
Knee
Red rail
Aphanapteryx bonasia
Ankle
Extinct species
Extinct on Mauritius
FAMILY TREE REVELATION
Nicobar pigeon
Caloenas nicobarica
Dodo
Raphus cucullatus
Rodrigues solitaire
Pezophaps solitaria
DNA studies reveal the dodo was a type of pigeon related to the extinct Rodrigues solitaire and the modern Southeast Asian Nicobar pigeon.
Common ancestor
The Rodrigues solitaire and the giant tortoise went extinct on Rodrigues island a century after the dodo did.
THROUGH THE
LOOKING GLASS
Based on early mariner accounts, sketches, and paintings of dodoes in captivity, the bird’s image took a fantastical turn. In the 1600s, portraits of comical, squat birds became the standard for future classics such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
1601
1602
1605
1626
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
1865
1866
2016
A year in the life
Recent discoveries help explain how the dodo—smarter and sleeker than once thought—had adapted to its cyclone-prone environment. Then in 1598, Europeans, rats, and pigs arrived in Mauritius and drove dodoes to extinction.
Mauritius giant flat-shelled tortoise
Cylindraspis triserrata
Broad-billed parrot
Lophopsittacus mauritianus
4
Adult height
3 ft
Giant skink Leiolopisma mauritiana
Chick
3
Egg
2
1
Nest
AUSTRAL SUMMER CYCLONE SEASON
August
September
October
November
December
January
BREEDING
GROWING QUICKLY
Females began to ovulate in August. Nests were built on the ground, per firsthand accounts; the size, shape, and number of eggs are unknown.
Chicks hatched and grew to near adult size within months, perhaps to better survive cyclone season in the summer.
RICH ECOSYSTEM
Like many of the other creatures of the era, the dodo depended on the island’s freshwater pools–often available even during droughts. It foraged for nuts, fruits, and seeds in nearby forests.
Greater flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseus
Greater flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseus
4
5
6
7
Fully feathered (gray)
Molting (dark brown)
CHANGING FEATHERS
Around February dodos began to molt, looking as disheveled as their environment during cyclone season. As conditions improved, new feathers would start to replace the old; by July the birds would have new plumage.
New
Damaged
Old, worn feathers were loosened in their follicles by the growth of new, intruding feathers that eventually pushed the old ones out.
4
5
6
7
First feathers
Adult feathers
EVE CONANT, NGM STAFF. SOURCES: DELPHINE ANGST, UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL; LEON CLAESSENS, MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY; M. EUGENIA L. GOLD, SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY; DURBAN NATURAL SCIENCE MUSEUM AND AVES 3D; JULIAN HUME, NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LONDON; ANDREW IWANIUK, UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE; STIG WALSH, NATIONAL MUSEUMS SCOTLAND; RAFFAEL WINKLER, NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM BASEL; AGNÈS ANGST (MODERN DODO)
The Dodo’s new look
by Fernando G. Baptista,
Monica Serrano, and patricia healy
A picture of the extinct, flightless bird that has inspired artists and tall tales for centuries is slowly coming into sharper relief. Modern scientific tools and newly discovered bones, in combination with historic sightings and previously studied specimens, are giving scientists fresh insights into the mysterious bird’s anatomy and life cycle on Mauritius, where it once thrived.
AFRICA
MAURITIUS
INDIAN
OCEAN
PUBLISHED JULY 21, 2020
SHARPER SENSES
Olfactory bulb
Brain proportions suggest that dodoes, long considered dumb, were as intelligent as pigeons. Dodo and Rodrigues solitaire brains also had large olfactory bulbs, suggesting a keen sense of smell for finding food. (Brain art at right not to scale.)
Rodrigues solitaire
Nicobar pigeon
Skeleton find
Scans in 3D of a rare, nearly intact skeleton have shown scientists the dodo’s true bone structure and shape.
Thick, spongy
bone over the
forebrain posi-
tioned the dodo’s
brain differently
from most other
birds’ brains.
New shape
22.5 lb
Old shape
46.3 lb
Mauritius giant domed tortoise
Cylindraspis inepta
Mauritius giant domed tortoise
Cylindraspis inepta
Knee
Red rail
Aphanapteryx bonasia
Red rail
Aphanapteryx bonasia
Ankle
This head shape (dark), sketched in the 1600s, has long served as the dodo’s artistic—and inaccurate—image.
FAMILY TREE REVELATION
Nicobar pigeon
Caloenas
nicobarica
Dodo
Raphus
cucullatus
Rodrigues solitaire
Pezophaps solitaria
DNA studies reveal the dodo was a type of pigeon related to the extinct Rodrigues solitaire and the modern Southeast Asian Nicobar pigeon.
The Rodrigues solitaire and the giant tortoise went extinct on Rodrigues island a century after the dodo did.
Extinct on Mauritius
Extinct species
Common ancestor
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Based on early mariner accounts, sketches, and paintings of dodoes in captivity, the bird’s image took a fantastical turn. In the 1600s, portraits of comical, squat birds became the standard for future classics such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
1601
1602
1605
1626
1866
2016
1865
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
A year in the life
Recent discoveries help explain how the dodo—smarter and sleeker than once thought—had adapted to its cyclone-prone environment. Then in 1598, Europeans, rats, and pigs arrived in Mauritius and drove dodoes to extinction.
RICH ECOSYSTEM
Like many of the other creatures of the era, the dodo depended on the island’s freshwater pools–often available even during droughts. It foraged for nuts, fruits, and seeds in nearby forests.
RICH ECOSYSTEM
Like many of the other creatures of the era, the dodo depended on the island’s freshwater pools–often available even during droughts. It foraged for nuts, fruits, and seeds in nearby forests.
Mauritius giant flat-shelled tortoise
Cylindraspis triserrata
Greater flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseus
Greater flamingo
Phoenicopterus roseus
Broad-billed parrot
Lophopsittacus mauritianus
4
Adult height
3ft
5
6
7
Giant skink Leiolopisma mauritiana
Fully feathered (gray)
Molting (dark brown)
Chick
3
Egg
2
1
Nest
AUSTRAL SUMMER CYCLONE SEASON
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
Jan.
Feb.
March
April
May
June
July
Aug.
BREEDING
GROWING QUICKLY
CHANGING FEATHERS
Females began to ovulate in August. Nests were built on the ground, per firsthand accounts; the size, shape, and number of eggs are unknown.
Chicks hatched and grew to near adult size within months, perhaps to better survive cyclone season in the summer.
Molting dodoes looked as disheveled as their environment during cyclone season. As conditions improved, new feathers began to replace the old.
Old, worn feathers were loosened in their follicles by the growth of new, intruding feathers that eventually pushed the old ones out.
New
Damaged
Early images could have been influenced by seasons or feather cycles, with birds looking darker and thinner when molting and lighter and larger when fully feathered.
4
5
6
7
First feathers
Adult feathers
EVE CONANT, NGM STAFF. SOURCES: DELPHINE ANGST, UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL; LEON CLAESSENS, MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY; M. EUGENIA L. GOLD,
SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY; DURBAN NATURAL SCIENCE MUSEUM AND AVES 3D; JULIAN HUME, NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LONDON; ANDREW IWANIUK, UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE;
STIG WALSH, NATIONAL MUSEUMS SCOTLAND; RAFFAEL WINKLER, NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM BASEL; AGNÈS ANGST (MODERN DODO)
The
Dodo’s
new look
by Fernando G.BaptistA,
Monica serrano,
and patricia healy
A picture of the extinct, flightless bird that has inspired artists and tall tales for centuries is slowly coming into sharper relief. Modern scientific tools and newly discovered bones,
in combination with historic
sightings and previously studied specimens, are giving scientists fresh insights into the mysterious bird’s anatomy and life cycle on Mauritius, where it once thrived.
AFRICA
MAURITIUS
INDIAN
OCEAN
The wider head shape, sketched in the the 1600s, has long served as the dodo’s artistic—and inaccurate—image.
GROWING QUICKLY
Females began to ovulate in August. Nests
were built on the ground and chicks hatched
and grew to near adult size within months,
perhaps to better survive the summer cyclone
season. A few months later new feathers would
begin to replace old ones.
Skeleton find
Scans in 3D of a rare, nearly intact skeleton have shown scientists the dodo’s true bone structure and shape.
Small, vestigial wings were possibly used for display and to help with balance.
Old shape
46.3 lb
New shape
22.5 lb
Knee
Ankle
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Based on early mariner accounts, sketches,
and paintings of dodoes in captivity, the bird’s
image took a fantastical turn. In the 1600s,
portraits of comical, squat birds became the
standard for future classics such as
Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland.
1605
1626
1866
2016
EVE CONANT, NGM STAFF. SOURCES: DELPHINE ANGST, UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL; LEON CLAESSENS, MAASTRICHT UNIVERSITY; M. EUGENIA L. GOLD, SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY; DURBAN NATURAL SCIENCE MUSEUM AND AVES 3D; JULIAN HUME, NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LONDON; ANDREW IWANIUK, UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE; STIG WALSH,
NATIONAL MUSEUMS SCOTLAND; RAFFAEL WINKLER, NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM BASEL; AGNÈS ANGST (MODERN DODO)