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| The "Real" Thing - Artistic Interpretation |
The dodo (
Raphus cucullatus) was a
flightless bird endemic to the
Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. It stood about a metre (
3.3 feet) tall, weighing about
20 kilograms (44 lb). The species
lost the ability to fly because on
Mauritius food was abundant and
mammalian predators were absent. It was related to pigeons and doves, and its closest relative was the
Rodrigues Solitaire, which is also extinct. The external features of the
dodo are only known from paintings and written accounts from the
17th century, but because these vary considerably, and only a few sketches are known to have been drawn from life, mystery remains over its exact appearance. The same is true of its habitat and behaviour.
The dodo was first mentioned by
Dutch sailors in 1598. By
1681, all
dodos had been killed by hungry sailors or their domesticated animals. This was not realized at the time, since the
dodo barely left any traces after its extinction, and was later believed to have simply been a mythological creature until the
19th century, when research was conducted on some of the few surviving remains of specimens that had been taken to
Europe in the
17th century. Since then, a large amount of sub-fossil material has been collected from
Mauritius, increasing the amount of solid evidence relating to the bird. The extinction of the bird, within
80 years of its discovery, made people realise for the first time that humans could induce the extinction of plants and animals.
The dodo was made well-known to the public due to a notable role in
Alice in Wonderland, and it has since become a fixture in popular culture. Its name has subsequently become associated with the notion of
extinction and obsolescence. -
Wikipedia
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| 17th Century Dutch Illustration Of A Dodo |
O dodó (
português europeu) ou
dodô (
português brasileiro), também chamado
dronte (
Raphus cucullatus) foi uma
ave não-voadora com cerca de um metro de altura que vivia nas
Ilhas Maurícias, uma das ilhas
Mascarenhas na costa leste da
África, perto de Madagascar. Se alimentava de frutas e
acabou por ser extinta graças à ação do ser humano durante o processo de
colonização da ilha. É da família dos pombos,
tinha asas curtas e bico longo e pesado. O
Dodô não tinha medo das pessoas, o que, combinado com o fato de não voar, fez dele
uma presa fácil para os humanos. Os
primeiros colonos da ilha foram os
portugueses, que chegaram em
1505. O nome
dodó provavelmente tem origem no aspecto desajeitado destas aves; por isso, os batizaram de
"doudos", ou seja
"doidos". O
dodó era uma excelente fonte de alimentação, pesando cerca de
16 quilos. Os
dodós adultos foram caçados, mas esta não foi a única ameaça que passaram a enfrentar. Quando os humanos chegaram, trouxeram consigo outros animais, como porcos, ratos e macacos, que destruíam os ninhos do
dodó.
O último dodó foi morto em 1681, e não foi preservado nenhum espécime completo, apenas uma cabeça e um pé (o que restou dum espécime num museu na
Inglaterra após um incêndio). -
Wikipedia
Link: Dodo.Extinct.Bird.Paper.Model.by.Kizuna.Avenue
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Penguin Papercraft - by Nozaranto - via Pepakura Gallery
Threatened Animals - by Konika - Animais ameaçados
Japanese Insects - by Paper Museum.JP - Insetos Japoneses
