Did dodo birds live in the rainforest?
When it was still alive, the dodo bird lived a solitary existence on the island habitat of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean about 500 miles directly east of Madagascar. At the time, Mauritius was heavily covered in forests, so it is very likely that the dodo was adapted for life around dense foliage.
How did the dodo bird go extinct?
The birds had no natural predators, so they were unafraid of humans. Over-harvesting of the birds, combined with habitat loss and a losing competition with the newly introduced animals, was too much for the dodos to survive. The last dodo was killed in 1681, and the species was lost forever to extinction.
Who was the last dodo bird?
However, as the 17th century drew to a close, the Ashmole dodo became something very special indeed. She was the only example of her kind. In around 1693, its habitat destroyed and its eggs prey to new predators, the last surviving dodo died somewhere in the increasingly sparse forests of Mauritius.
What are predators of dodo birds?
Predators who were mainly responsible for the dodo bird extinction were dogs, cats, rats, monkeys, crab-eating macaques, pigs, and above all humans. The last of the dodo bird was seen in 1662. Dutch sailors used to hunt and eat dodo birds.
What caused the extinction of the Dodo bird?
The main cause of the dodo’s extinction, however, was the animals the sailors brought with them, such as cats, pigs and rats – they guzzled on dodo eggs and out-competed the birds for food, wiping them out by the 1680s.
Why did the Dodo become extinct?
© Ballista. While debated hotly by scientists, the dodo became extinct for three reasons. First, before humans arrived on Mauritius – an island in the Indian Ocean where the dodos had evolved – they had no natural predators and as such were easy to hunt by travellers looking for a food supply.
What are some interesting facts about Dodo bird?
Dodo Bird Facts Summary. Dodo birds were flightless birds that were native to the island of Mauritius. They had no natural enemies and so had no natural defenses when sailors settled on the island. People, and the animals that accompanied them, brought about the rapid extinction of the dodo.
