11/30/2023 0 Comments Most accurate dodo pictureSloops from the Amsterdam and the Gelderland discovered a natural harbour, which they called Warwijk Harbour after theAmsterdam's vice-admiral, Wybrant van Warwijk. Five of the ships sailed east of Madagascar and, running out of food and water, landed on an island called Islo do Cerne (Island of Swans) on old Portugeuse charts. In 1598, a large Dutch expedition to the East Indies from the Netherlands, commanded by Admiral Jacob Corneliszoon van Neck, ran into bad weather off the Cape of Good Hope. Both countries were building colonial empires, but politics between Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands meant the Dutch East India Company was first to establish a foothold in Mauritius where, in addition to finding a useful stopover, they logged the abundant ebony and released pigs to ensure a living larder. The Dutch named it after their prince, Maurits of Nassau. They named it Island of Swans, suggesting they had sighted the dodo and mistaken it for a swan (it was about the size of a swan) It had never been inhabited by man. Mauritius had been discovered around 1500 by Portuguese ships seeking a route for the East Indies. With no mammals, the islands were dominated by birds that had evolved to fill the niches occupied elsewhere by mammals. The Mascarene Islands had been discovered and settled by the Portuguese in the early 16th century (Arab traders had already visited, but did not settle). Teelingly, the Dutch also called it Walghvogel (disgusting bird) alluding to its inedible flesh. Its common name comes from the Portuguese "doudo" (foolish) and the Dutch "dodaarsen" (fat heavy bottom). Far from being stupid and useless, it was well-adapted to its environment - an environment without mammals - and its demise was due to the introduction of predators it had not evolved to cope with. ![]() Modern research and reconstruction suggest it was not as gentle and dove-like as once supposed adult dodos could be aggressive, territorial and fight back. It was actually a giant, flightless dove. When first discovered, it was variously described as a wild turkey, a cassowary, a hooded swan, a booby or a bastard ostrich. The Mauritius dodo (Common Dodo) became extinct in 1680. Everything on Mauritius was also on Reunion, apart from the dodo which was theerefore flightless before Reunion was formed. Mauritius is approximately 10.5 million years old. These islands make up the Mascarene islands. ![]() The island of Reunion is 100 miles (160 km) south west of Mauritius Rodrigues is 300 miles (480 km) east of Mauritius. Mauritius is 500 miles (800 km) west of Madagascar. To people familiar with cooing fantail doves and feral city pigeons, it may seem odd to think of giant pigeons as dominant species, but this is what had happened. ![]() It was one of four flightless pigeons: the Mauritius, Common or Brown Dodo (Raphus cucullatus), the much-debated Reunion White Dodo (Victoriornis imperialis), the Reunion Solitaire (was Ornithaptera solitarius, currently Theskiornis solitarius) and the Rodrigues Solitaire (Pezohaps solitarius). Perhaps the most famous extinct creature is the dodo we often refer to defunct things as being "as dead as a dodo" while "dodo" is a byword for stupidity and obsolescence.
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