The Dodo Extinction: What Really Happened? скачать в хорошем качестве

The Dodo Extinction: What Really Happened?

The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, meaning it was found nowhere else on Earth. It evolved from birds that could fly, sharing ancestry with pigeons and doves. However, living in an environment free from natural predators, the dodo's ancestors no longer needed flight as an adaptation to escape danger. Over time, natural selection favored flightlessness, as flying is energetically costly. As a result, the dodo developed small, non-functional wings and became a terrestrial bird. The dodo was a large bird, bigger than a turkey, weighing about 23 kg (50 pounds). It had blue-gray plumage, a large head, a 23-cm (9-inch) blackish bill with a hooked red tip, small useless wings and a tuft of curly feathers on its rear. The Réunion solitaire may have been a white variant of the dodo, while the Rodrigues solitaire was taller and more slender, with a smaller head, a short bill lacking a heavy hook, and wings with knobs. Portuguese sailors first documented the dodo around 1507, and Dutch sailors arrived on Mauritius in 1598, marking the beginning of its decline. The last confirmed sighting of a dodo was in 1662, with scientists estimating its extinction around 1690 through statistical analysis. While some attribute its extinction to overhunting by sailors, the dodo's extinction was primarily caused by invasive species brought by humans. These included ship rats, domestic dogs, cats, and pigs, which competed with the dodos for food and preyed on their eggs. The dodo's lack of flight and inexperience with predators made it especially vulnerable. The introduction of invasive species disrupted the island's delicate ecosystem, leading to the irreversible loss of the dodo. The dodo has become a symbol of extinction, revealing the impact of human activities on nature, the fragility of ecosystems, and the permanent loss of species. No other extinct bird has captivated our imagination quite like the dodo. Genetic advances are making de-extinction possible and could someday allow extinct species to potentially be revived. The dodo’s genome, sequenced in 2016, sparked debates about bringing the dodo back. However, this raises ethical concerns about altering natural history and the potential ecological impacts. Instagram:   / hashem.alghaili   Facebook:   / sciencenaturepage   Other channels: https://muse.io/hashemalghaili