Preserved Dodo remains discovered

[Raph's Girl]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051224/sc_nm/science_dodo_dc

A mass grave of dodos, the famous flightless bird whose name became synonymous with stupidity, has been uncovered in Mauritius, scientists said.

The rare find will enable researchers to discover more about what happened to the bird, native to the Indian Ocean Island, which became extinct in the late 17th century.

Scientists from the Dutch Natural History Museum in Leiden said the remains were at least 2,000 years old.

"This new find will allow for the first scientific research into and reconstruction of the world in which the dodo lived, before Western man landed on Mauritius and wiped out the species," said a statement from the museum.

The dodo was discovered by Portuguese sailors in the late 16th century. Its lack of fear of humans, its plump size estimated at about 20 kg (44 pounds) and its inability to fly meant the bird became extinct by about 1680.

Its name is similar to the Portuguese word for fool.

The last time dodo remains were discovered was in 1920. The latest find by Dutch and Mauritius scientists was made in October in a swampy area in the southeast of the island.

"The discovery yielded several dodo bones, including remains of dodo chicks and a very rare part of a bird's peak, only a few of which exist in the entire world," the statement said.

The grave is expected to include dozens of dodo skeletons, which are very rare and are estimated to be worth millions of dollars, said Dutch geologist Kenneth Rijsdijk who helped to find the site.

"A single bone can yield thousands of dollars. It's a massive site and may very well contain skeletons of dozens of dodos," he said.

http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/ap/20051223/capt.ams10812231626.netherlands_dodo_ams108.jpg?x= 228&y=345&sig=H2V9O_d8lQjFT0nAhOgTgQ--

Raph's Girl: I remember going to this major paleontological museum in Frankfurt, Germany once that had some Dodo remains on display. :D

[Hannah]

Dodos are the best ever.
Then theres platypi, but they arent birds.
Theyre superheroes. =o

[iris]

That was a cool find. They may not have been looking for it... that scientist, Rijsdijk, is a geologist who seems to be known for his work in density-driven deformation (he studies mud... hey, it's complicated! :lol: ).

Retrieving DNA means that the Dodo can be better placed in relation to other species. But recreating a live animal from its DNA remains in the realm of science fiction, Rijsdijk said.
Says you! If they find enough DNA, you can bet someone will try to clone 'em eventually. Heck I'd try it.

[LUCKFF]

THESE ARE THE FOSSIL REMAINS OF THE DODO BIRD. OF COURSE I DOUBT ITS COMPLETE AND ASSUME THEY HAD TO FILL IN THE BLANKS. I TOOK THESE PICTURES AT THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY (NYC) LAST SUMMER.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v42/LUCKFF/DSCN8710.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v42/LUCKFF/DSCN8590.gif

EVER SINCE I DECIDED TO INCORPORATE THE DODO BIRD IN ONE OF MY ORIGINAL SCRIPTS, ITS BEEN POPPING UP EVERY WHERE, I SWEAR. THIS THREAD IS PROOF. NOW I HAVE BUILT THIS FASCINATION WITH THE BIRD. IN MY STORY THE DODO BIRD ACTUALLY FLIES, BUT CLUMSILY.

ANOTHER PLACE WHERE I SITED THE BIRD WAS AT BATTERY PARK (NYC) LAST SUMMER. THIS STATUE IS BY THE ARTIST; TOM OTTERNESS.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v42/LUCKFF/DODOBIRD.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v42/LUCKFF/DSCN9105.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v42/LUCKFF/DSCN9106.gif

ITS INTERESTING THAT THEY HAVE FOUND SO MANY REMAINS, RECENTLY. I HOPE TO LEARN ALOT MORE ABOUT THESE ANIMALS. THERES ALSO HOPE THAT IN SOME UNTOUCHED POCKETS OF THE WORLD THIS ANIMAL STILL EXISTS.

[Dr. Doom]

The Dodo lives!




http://www.thegremlin.com/WARNER.BROS/15800wb.JPG

[Kid Icarus]

Not if Elmer Fudd has anything to say about it!

[Raph's Girl]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v42/LUCKFF/DSCN9106.gif
THERES ALSO HOPE THAT IN SOME UNTOUCHED POCKETS OF THE WORLD THIS ANIMAL STILL EXISTS.

That would be like totally awesome if we could find a living specimen!

That little dude on the Dodo's shoulder...isn't he one of the construction people from Fraggle Rock??? :o

Oh and hey I was reading up on Dodo birds and found out that the scientific name for each species (the last of which died out in the 1700's) were:

Raphus Solitarus, Raphus Brissum and Raphus cucullatus and it's in the family Raphidae.

Apperantly Raphus means extinct! :lol:

Also apperantly Dodo's are related to Pigeons! :o Particularly the Nicobar Pigeon which is found in Indonesia and the Nicobar Islands. :o

So Dodo are kinda still around...still...Raphus http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/Dierna/smileys/Guffaw.gif

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b5/Nicobar.pigeon.750pix.jpg

[LUCKFF]

That little dude on the Dodo's shoulder...isn't he one of the construction people from Fraggle Rock??? :o

Also apperantly Dodo's are related to Pigeons! :o Particularly the Nicobar Pigeon which is found in Indonesia and the Nicobar Islands. :o

So Dodo are kinda still around...still...Raphus


WHATS FRAGGLE ROCK?

IF IT WEREN'T FOR WESTERN SETTLERS THE DODO WOULD NO DOUBT BE ALIVE IN BIG NUMBERS. I HEARD THAT THE WESTERNERS, OVER KILLED FOR NO REASON. I'LL HAVE TO LOOK IT UP AGAIN.

[iris]

That little dude on the Dodo's shoulder...isn't he one of the construction people from Fraggle Rock??? :o
I have to admit that's the first thing that came to my mind as well.

"Fraggle Rock" was a muppet-based TV show about creatures (Fraggles) who lived underground in a place called, oddly enough, Fraggle Rock. The little construction people (the Doozers) lived there also. The Doozers build things and the Fraggles eat the things they build. If you haven't seen the show you should check it out when you can. It's got that surreal, almost lighthearted darkness that lives in Jim Henson creations.

http://www.muppetcentral.com/collectibles/fragglepics/doll_bendy_doozers.jpg

Raphus Solitarus, Raphus Brissum and Raphus cucullatus and it's in the family Raphidae.

Apperantly Raphus means extinct!
Really?

I tried to look up Raphus brissum and couldn't find nothin'. :/

[Raph's Girl]

Here's the wikipedia page all about the Dodo.

Oh BTW...I made a slight error... it's Raphus Brisson. :P Named of course after Marthurin Jacques Brisson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodo

[iris]

Ah... wiki. :) Thanks.

[MyNameSlash]

I always think of Looney Tunes and Alice in Wonderland whenever the word dodo is mentioned. I wish I could find a mass grave of dodos in my backyard.

[Raph's Girl]

New article about the Dodo discovery:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060108/sc_nm/mauritius_dodo_dc

Hidden in the depths of sugarcane plantations, the marshlands of Mare-aux-Songes have been forgotten for centuries

But the recent discovery of a mass grave of dodos, the extinct flightless bird whose name became synonymous with stupidity, has rekindled interest in learning how the bird lived, what it ate and its natural habitat.

The rare find in southeast Mauritius by a Dutch-Mauritian team will enable researchers to discover more about the Indian Ocean island's native bird, which was wiped out in the late 17th century.

The Mon Tresor and Mon Desert (MTMD) sugar estate, where the 2,000 year-old dodo bones were found, now plans to use the information gleaned from the fossils to recreate the original environment of the dodo.

"There has been so much interest in the discovery that we have realized we need to do something to bring more awareness of the dodo," said Christian Foo Kune, MTMD's general manager.

"Our aim is to recreate the dodo's original habitat so that people can visit the area and rediscover how Mauritius was when the dodo was alive," Foo Kune said.

The plump bird which weighed about 20 kg (44 lbs) was discovered by Portuguese sailors in the late 16th century.

Unaccustomed to predators, it lacked fear of the human settlers who not only hunted the bird, but also destroyed its habitat through deforestation of ebony and tambalacoque trees.

They also introduced alien species such as goats and pigs which forced the dodo to compete for food and passing ships brought diseased rats to the island paradise -- all of which contributed to its extinction.

MORE DIGGING

Experts say the well-preserved fossils included femurs of adult birds and chicks as well as a very rare part of the bird's beak, only a few of which exist in the world.

There were also bones of the giant Mauritius tortoise, which became extinct around the same time as the dodo, and hundreds of seeds of trees that no longer grow on the island.

Researchers hope analysis of tissues inside the bones will reveal what the bird and tortoise ate.

MTMD is planning nature trails, a museum and an information area to educate people on the tiny island's national symbol and use it to promote awareness about preserving the environment.

Researchers say the grave, which was only two meters deep and two meters wide, yielded around 19 kg of fossils.

They believe if the entire 10 acre marshland is excavated, they are likely to find hundreds more fossils.

"It is amazing that we didn't have to dig so far to find such results, so you can imagine what would happen if we explore the entire area," says Alan Grihault, who was part of the research team and author of a book on dodos.

Grihault says it remains uncertain how the dodos and tortoises in Mare-aux-Songes died, but initial ideas suggest it may have been the result of a widespread epidemic or a severe cyclone.

MTMD has asked the Dutch-Mauritian research team back to do a major excavation in June, but have decided to keep the exact site a secret to keep fortune-seekers away.

Raph's Girl note: A secret??? It's the marshlands...considering the size of the island I'd say that the marshlands aren't too hard to find. :roll:

[TMNTerminator]

So why were they called Dodo birds? Any particular reason?

[Turtle Dove]

:lol: I read this entire thread and thought it said "perserved Dildo" Still this is amazing news!

Now if they can find the "Passenger Penguin" We are set

[Raph's Girl]

So why were they called Dodo birds? Any particular reason?

The name dodo comes from the archaic Portuguese word doudo, meaning "simpleton", doido in modern Portuguese meaning fool or mad.

Just be glad they're not called Booby... Booby Birds are cool birds but gods do they have a funny name. :lol: Booby stems from the spanish word Bubi which means Stupid Fellow or Dunce.

And why? Because they're easily captured.

Anyways...they were called Dodo because they were easy to catch. They had no natural enemies on their islands.

Unlike the Dodo tho the Booby birds aren't on the verge of extinction. It wasn't man who caused the Dodo's extinction, they were already slowly dying out when the Portugese and Dutch found the islands where the Dodo's lived.

Oh and Turtle Dove... Passenger Penguine?? I believe you mean Passenger Pigeon. The last Passenger Pigeon was a zoo bird named Martha who died in 1914. She was stuffed and is now on display at the Smithsonian.

Recently tho they re-discoverd Passenger Pigeon lice, thought to have gone extinct with the bird...it was re-discovered on Band Tailed Pigeons. *L*

[TMNTerminator]

interesting...thnx for info!:)