Dodo Bird

The Dodo Bird died out in the mid-to-late 17th century. Its extinction is attributed to human activity.

Dodo Birds lived on the island of Mauritis located in the Indian Ocean. They stood three feet tall and weighed around 40 lbs. Their diet consisted of fruit and they made their nests on the ground. The Dodo bird did not fly.

The Dodo Bird is a distant cousin of pigeons and doves. It is believed that the Dodo branched off from the Rodrigues Solitaire which is also extinct.

The phrases, ""as dead as a dodo" and "to go the way of the dodo" are phrases penned after the extinction of the dodo bird.

In 2006, the most prominent site of Dodo remains, Mare aux Songes, was excavated. Many bones were found including ones from varying stages of maturity.

In 2007, the best preserved skeleton of a Dodo was discovered in a cave.

Fast Facts:

1. Kingdom: Animal
2. Phylum: Chordate
3. Class: Bird
4. Order: Columbiformes
5. Family: Columbidae
6. Sub Family: Raphinae
7. Genus: Raphus
8. Species: Raphus cucullatus
9. Stood three feet tall
10. Weighed around 44 lbs.
11. Lived on fruit
12. Made nests on the ground
13. Did not fly
14. Found on the island of Mauritis located in the Indian Ocean

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