Emily Chan
“By the 18th and early 19th centuries, the Dodo and Solitaire were considered to be mythological beasts,” Dr. Mark Young, the lead author of the study from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom, said.
“It was the hard work of Victorian-era scientists who finally proved that the Dodo and Solitaire were not mythological but were giant ground doves.”
In addition, the team managed to identify a “type specimen” for the dodo, a preserved specimen that provides a reference for the species.
The team determined that the dodo and solitaire were both members of the family, which included doves and pigeons. They also figured out what dodos were really like.
“Evidence from bone specimens suggests that the Dodo’s tendon, which closed its toes, was exceptionally powerful, analogous to [those of] climbing and running birds alive today,” said Neil Gostling, a co-author of the study and evolutionary biologist at the University of Southampton. “These creatures were perfectly adapted to their environment.”
Dodo research could help scientists understand how the birds affected its ecosystem and even assist in protecting existing endangered birds.
Currently, the dodo is extinct, but scientists at Colossal Biosciences have been working on bringing the species back to life in the hopes of stabilizing the Mauritius ecosystem.
The paper was published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
