Dodo - Description

Description

As no complete Dodo specimens exist, its external appearance, such as plumage and colouration, is hard to determine. Subfossil remains and remnants of the birds that were brought to Europe in the 17th century show that they were very large birds, one metre (3.3 ft) tall, and possibly weighing up to 23 kilograms (51 lb). The higher weights have been attributed to birds in captivity; weights in the wild were estimated to have been in the range 10.6–21.1 kg (23–47 lb). A later estimate gives an average weight as low as 10.2 kg (22 lb). This has been questioned, and there is still some controversy. It has been suggested that the weight depended on the season, and that individuals were fat during cool seasons, but less so during hot. The bird was sexually dimorphic: males were larger and had proportionally longer beaks. The beak was up to 23 centimetres (9.1 in) in length and had a hooked point. A study of the few remaining feathers on the Oxford specimen head showed that they were pennaceous rather than plumaceous (downy) and most similar to those of other pigeons.

Many of the skeletal features that distinguish the Dodo and the Rodrigues Solitaire, its closest relative, from pigeons have been attributed to their flightlessness. The pelvic elements were thicker than those of flighted pigeons to support the higher weight, and the pectoral region and the small wings were paedomorphic, meaning that they were underdeveloped and retained juvenile features. The skull, trunk and pelvic limbs were peramorphic, meaning that they changed considerably with age. The Dodo shared several other traits with the Rodrigues Solitaire, such as features of the skull, pelvis, and sternum, as well as their large size. It differed in other aspects, such as being more robust and shorter than the Solitaire, having a larger skull and beak, a rounded skull roof, and smaller orbits. The Dodo's neck and legs were proportionally shorter, and it did not possess an equivalent to the knob present on the Solitaire's wrists.

Illustrations and written accounts of encounters with the Dodo between its discovery and its extinction (1598–1662) are the primary evidence for its external appearance. According to most representations, the Dodo had greyish or brownish plumage, with lighter primary feathers and a tuft of curly light feathers high on its rear end. The head was grey and naked, the beak green, black and yellow, and the legs were stout and yellowish, with black claws.