The story.
The dodo bird (Raphus cucullatus), a flightless bird endemic to Mauritius, became extinct in the late 17th century due to human activities like hunting, habitat destruction, and the introduction of invasive species.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
Endemic to Mauritius:
The dodo was native only to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.
Flightless:
Like many other island birds, dodos lost the ability to fly because it wasn't necessary in their environment.
Extinction Timeline:
The last widely accepted sighting of a dodo was in 1662, and it's believed to have gone extinct in the late 17th century.
Human Impact:
Hunting: Sailors and settlers hunted dodos for food, leading to a rapid decline in their population.
Habitat Loss: As humans settled on Mauritius, forests were cleared, and the dodo's habitat was destroyed.
Invasive Species:
Humans introduced animals like pigs, dogs, cats, rats, and crab-eating macaques, which preyed on dodo eggs and young, and competed for food resources.
Symbol of Extinction:
The dodo's extinction is often cited as a prime example of human-induced extinction and a symbol of the fragility of island ecosystems.
De-extinction Project:
In 2023, Colossal Biosciences announced a project to revive the dodo, along with other extinct species like the woolly mammoth and thylacine, with the goal of restoring biodiversity to Mauritius and changing the dodo's status as a symbol of extinction to de-extinction.
Here's a video talking about the dodo bird and kts extinction.
The real story of the dodo bird's