The Dodo - Raphus Cuccullatus
'As dead as the dodo!'
Credit goes to this bird that put Mauritius, for the first time, on the world map. Though extinct for more than 300 years now, the giant bird still continues to stir amazement in visitors at the country’s National History Museum, where one of the few remaining skeletons is on display
Did you know?
The dodo, which was indigenous only to Mauritius, had lost the power of flight because food was abundant and predators were absent.
The extinction of the bird, within 80 years of its discovery, made man realise for the first time that he could induce the extinction of plants and animals.
