10 Facts About Dodo

1.

Dodo is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, which is east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

FactSnippet No. 2,517,673
2.

Dodo was variously declared a small ostrich, a rail, an albatross, or a vulture, by early scientists.

FactSnippet No. 2,517,674
3.

Dodo had about nineteen presynsacral vertebrae, sixteen synsacral vertebrae, six free tail vertebrae, and a pygostyle.

FactSnippet No. 2,517,675
4.

Dodo claimed that the tambalacoque was now nearly coextinct because of the disappearance of the dodo.

FactSnippet No. 2,517,676
5.

Dodo was found interesting enough that living specimens were sent to Europe and the East.

FactSnippet No. 2,517,677
6.

Dodo therefore pointed to the 1662 description as the last credible observation.

FactSnippet No. 2,517,678
7.

Dodo was successful, and found remains of other extinct species.

FactSnippet No. 2,517,679
8.

Dodo appears frequently in works of popular fiction, and even before its extinction, it was featured in European literature, as a symbol for exotic lands, and of gluttony, due to its apparent fatness.

FactSnippet No. 2,517,680
9.

Dodo is used as a mascot for many kinds of products, especially in Mauritius.

FactSnippet No. 2,517,681
10.

Dodo is used to promote the protection of endangered species by environmental organisations, such as the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Durrell Wildlife Park.

FactSnippet No. 2,517,682