The Dodo

» By voyageuse | the 02-04-2010 at 14:43 | 16 views (9 unique) | 0 comments | Report post!

The dodo or previously called Didus ineptus by Carl von Linné (Dodo,) dronte was a runner bird related to the pigeons, the family of the Raphidés (formerly Dididés), endemic to Mauritius (Mascarene Islands) and disappeared at the end of the 17th century.

Etymology
The name of "dronte" would come a native of Mauritius, Word while "dodo" name would be originally from Dutch dodars or dodoors, meaning "lazy" and is originally child expression "dodo do." The most commonly accepted etymology is that the word comes from the Portuguese "doido" which means crazy, simplet, silly or stupid.
Description
The dodo resembled a big Turkey some 70 cm high, a dozen kilograms, stained and dark plumage. He was short and grêles legs black, equipped with four yellow fingers and strong wings. Its tail was formed a few fairly short feathers. His partly bare head was aviation a black cap and the powerful yellowish beak was lying and curly. Cuvier ranks it among the gallinacés, however, modern DNA tests it no doubt like pigeon. The cry of the dodo is given by the "blèctre" onomatopoeia.
Habitat
The dodo was an endemic bird of Mauritius, living in the forests or Plains.
The discovery
It was discovered in 1598 by Dutch shipments to Eastern spices, placed under the orders of Admiral Jacob Cornelius van neck sailors.
The annihilation
Mauritius has only 10 million years, the dodo there was no predator before the arrival of Europeans. Derived from African pigeons, the species had evolved in runner bird atrophiées winged. The dodo grattait arrays, leaves, fruit and seeds forests soil. He participated in tambalacoque seed germination. Due to its heaviness, this large bird walking hurt and unable to fly, was easier to hunt game and was quickly destroyed. The Dutch killed the majority to consume their flesh; thus, they in chargèrent their vessels to have a good food reserve. They surnommèrent walgvogel ("disgusting bird") because its meat was more edible two days after cooking. Domestic animals introduced - cats, goats, dogs and pigs, redevinrent wild - and rats - mangèrent eggs - took part in the extinction of the species to 1680.
[What there] the popular image of the stupid bird comes from the famous painting of Roelandt Savery (1589-1654) exposed to the Museum of the University of Oxford, and Lewis Carroll is inspired in the adventures of Alice in the country wonders. Andrew Kitchener, biologist at the Royal Museum of Scotland, recently created two life-size dodo, one at the Museum of Edinburgh, another at the Oxford Museum reproductions. Based on real skeletons, some living individuals, after which it wrought paintings, were made in Europe in the 17th century but could be high. In 2002, its DNA analysis has confirmed its position phylogenetic .the 23 December 2005, the associated press reported in an article that dodo bones had been discovered on Mauritius and that a whole skeleton was probably among them .the dodo is the symbol of the Jersey Zoo, Zoo has long been specialized in farming and the protection of endangered species, participant also in numerous projects conservation and/or reintroduction of species threatened in their country of origin, and particularly in Mauritius.

This blogpost is an automatic translated version of voyageuse's blogpost

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