Most people know about the extinction of the dodo. But while the dodo represents one of the best-known examples of extinction caused by humans, very little is known about this bird from a scientific perspective. Now, scientists have created the first ever 3-D atlas of the skeletal anatomy of the dodo.
The dodo is an extinct, giant flightless bird that was once found on the island of Mauritius. It's actually a large pigeon and may be the most widely known animal species to have gone extinct in human history. It became extinct by 1693, which was less than 100 years after the discovery and colonization of Mauritius by the Dutch.
There is actually no complete specimen of the dodo that exists from 17th century collections. In fact, only a few fragments remain. There are also a few genuine, but often contradictory contemporary written accounts and drawings of the dodo. It was only when researchers discovered a mid-Holocene fossil on Mauritius in 1965 that researchers were able to properly reconstruct the dodo's anatomy.
In this latest study, the researchers used two dodo skeletons that were discovered by more than a century ago. However, the skeletons were never described scientifically, even though one of them is the only known complete dodo skeleton. Other skeletons, in contrast, are incomplete and are typically made up from the bones of many different individuals.
The researchers used 3-D laser surface scanning in order to create an anatomical atlas of the skeletons. This, in turn, opens up a new window into the ecology of the dodo.
The new atlas is an important part of better understanding this extinct creature. More specifically, it may allow scientists to learn more about the animal that went extinct when humans colonized Mauritius.
With that said, reconstructing the life history of the dodo is a slow process. While researchers now have a better look at its anatomy, there's still very little known about its behavior and habits. With that said, scientists should be able to reconstruct this over time with the discovery of new, forgotten specimens that can be properly analyzed.
The findings are published in the March 2016 Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
