The dodo is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Dodos became extinct sometime around the late 17th century, within 100 years after the island was colonized by the Dutch. Due to its isolated evolution, the dodo was fearless of humans and easy prey for hunters and invasive species. As a result, the large, flightless bird was driven to extinction remarkably quickly after humans arrived on Mauritius.
Today, the dodo is perhaps the most famous extinct animal and a poignant symbol of man-made extinction. Despite its notoriety, very few dodo specimens exist in museum collections around the world. This is because so few dodos were preserved following their sudden extinction. Exact numbers of remaining dodo skeletons and specimens are difficult to determine, but the total is quite small.
Total Number of Complete Dodo Skeletons
Only a handful of complete dodo skeletons remain in existence. Most estimates place the total number of complete skeletons between 11 and 17 specimens. These are scattered across museums and private collections around the world. Some of the most notable complete dodo skeletons include:
– The Oxford Dodo at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. This is one of the most intact dodo skeletons known. Approximately 40% of the skeleton is original 17th century material.
– The Edinburgh Dodo at National Museums Scotland. This skeleton is about 40% complete with reconstructed parts.
– The London Dodo at the Natural History Museum in London. This is the most complete dodo skeleton in existence, with about 75% original material.
– The Copenhagen Dodo at the Natural History Museum of Denmark. This skeleton contains 37 original bones.
– Several privately owned specimens. Natural history dealer Henry Ward once owned a complete skeleton that sold at auction in 2020.
Based on these known specimens, it appears there are currently somewhere between 11 to 15 reasonably complete dodo skeletons in existence. As few as 13 complete skeletons may exist, with estimates ranging as high as 17. This rarity is due to the sudden extinction of the dodo shortly after its discovery.
Number of Dodo Bones and Fragments
In addition to complete skeletons, there are also a few hundred dodo bone fragments and individual bones held in museums and collections around the world. While no formal inventory exists, some notable dodo bone collections include:
– The Smithsonian Institution claims to have the largest collection of dodo bones with over 500 specimens.
– The Oxford University Museum of Natural History holds around 130 dodo bones and fragments.
– The Cambridge University Museum of Zoology has 69 dodo bones in its collection.
– The Natural History Museum, London owns 51 dodo bone specimens.
– The National Museum of Natural History in Paris holds about 40 dodo bone fragments.
– Other museums with dodo bones include the Grant Museum of Zoology in London, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and museums in Vienna and Prague among others.
Private collectors also own significant dodo bone collections. However, the total number of fragments and individual dodo bones in private hands is unknown. Altogether, there are likely between 500 to 1,000 surviving dodo bone and fragment specimens distributed around the world.
Notable Dodo Specimens and Remains
In addition to complete skeletons and bone fragments, there are a few exceptional dodo specimens worth highlighting:
– The Dodo “White Rock Specimen” – This is the only surviving complete dodo skin and foot specimen. It consists of dried skin, tendons, and foot bones. It was discovered in the mid-19th century at the Mare aux Songes swamp, the most significant site of dodo remains. This unique specimen is held by the Grant Museum of Zoology in London.
– Dodo Claw – The Oxford University Museum of Natural History displays a genuine dodo claw, one of less than 10 in the world.
– Dodo Feather – The Smithsonian Institution has a single 17th century dodo feather in its collection. It was discovered in a book owned by Dutch painter Roelant Savery.
– Dodo Egg Shell Fragments – A few museums own fragments of dodo eggshells, providing insight into the size and appearance of dodo eggs.
– Dodo Foot at the American Museum of Natural History – This taxidermied foot is composited from various specimens. It provides information about the dodo’s distinct anatomy.
Soft Tissue Remains
Almost no soft tissue remains of the dodo survive. With external skeletons and dry bones, skin, feathers, and other soft tissues typically decay away. However, there are a few extraordinary exceptions:
– The Oxford Dodo Head – This unique specimen at Oxford University contains the only surviving dodo soft tissue remains. It includes the dried head, tongue, and brain tissue of the bird.
– Prague Dodo – The National Museum in Prague holds a dodo specimen containing soft tissues from the head, legs, and wings. It was created using 17th century specimens.
– Mauritius Dodo Exhibit – This recreation at a Mauritius museum used historic accounts to sculpt dodo heads with skin and eyes. However, it includes no original biological material.
Aside from these three specimens, there are no other known soft tissue remains of the dodo. Internal organs, muscles, and skin have been lost to time in virtually all cases. The few cases where soft tissue still exists provide the only glimpse of what the dodo’s exterior looked like when it was alive.
Where Dodo Specimens Are Found
Dodo remains are found primarily in two locations – museums around the world, and paleontological sites on Mauritius.
Museums – The small number of remaining dodo specimens are spread across museums globally. The museums with the largest dodo collections include:
- The Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.
- The Oxford University Museum of Natural History
- The Natural History Museum, London
- National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh
- The Grant Museum of Zoology in London
Beyond these institutions, dodo material can be found in small quantities in natural history museums worldwide. Private collectors also own dodo specimens that rarely appear for public view.
Mauritius Sites – The island of Mauritius itself contains paleontological sites with dodo remains. These include:
- Mare aux Songes – The most important dodo site where subfossil deposits have been found since 1865. Thousands of dodo bones have been recovered here.
- Caverne Blyth – A cave with sediment deposits containing dodo bones.
- Other swamps – Small dodo finds have been made in other swamps such as Caverne Poule Rouge.
Ongoing excavations on Mauritius continue to uncover dodo bones and fragments. However, complete skeletons have not been found on the island itself.
Discoveries of Dodo Remains Over Time
The number of known dodo remains grew slowly following the bird’s extinction, accelerated with key paleontological excavations, and then leveled off as sites were exhausted.
Early 1600s-1860s
Very few dodos were preserved after their extinction in the late 1600s. During this period, only two contender specimens exist:
– The Oxford Dodo, likely preserved sometime before 1755.
– The Copenhagen Dodo, supposedly collected in the 1600s.
However, the provenance of these early specimens is debated by experts. Regardless, virtually no dodo remains were collected during the 1700s and early 1800s.
1860s-1900s
The first dodo fossils were discovered at the Mare aux Songes swamp in Mauritius in 1865 by George Clark. Thousands more bones were then excavated, including the first discovery of a complete dodo skull. These finds triggered renewed scientific interest in the dodo.
Additional excavations occurred in the late 1800s at the Caverne Blyth cave and other locations on Mauritius. Throughout this period, remains were sporadically discovered and described by naturalists. The Mauritius Institute was founded in the 1870s specifically to curate dodo specimens from across the island.
1900s-Present
The 1900s saw continued collecting and study of dodo subfossils from Mare aux Songes. Expeditions from the British Museum, Carnegie Institute, and others recovered hundreds of additional bones. The Natural History Museum excavation in 1965 stands as one of the most successful and well-documented collecting efforts.
Discoveries slowed in the late 1900s as the main fossil sites were exhausted. In recent decades, minor new finds have trickled in as small pockets of fossils are uncovered. But major new dodo discoveries have grown quite rare, making the known specimens likely all that remain.
Rarity of Dodo Specimens
Dodo remains are incredibly rare due to a couple key factors:
– Sudden extinction – Dodos were wiped out extremely quickly after being discovered in the early 1600s. This left little time for specimens to be collected and preserved. Most extinction events unfold gradually, providing more opportunity for remains to be abundant.
– Tropical environment – The warm and humid climate of Mauritius is not conducive to bone and fossil preservation over centuries. Many remains have simply deteriorated due to exposure.
– Lack of awareness – With extinction happening so rapidly, the dodo’s disappearance was not immediately obvious. Even as they vanished, little effort was made to save specimens.
– Bone modification – Any bones preserved have often been modified by water movement or other geological forces. Complete, intact skeletons are practically nonexistent as a result.
These factors greatly limited the amount of observable dodo remains available for study today. They created a perfect storm leading to the dodo becoming a dramatically under-represented extinction.
Controversial and Questionable Specimens
The rarity and value of dodo specimens have inevitably led to controversial claims and potential forgeries. Examples of disputed dodo remains include:
– The British Museum Dodo – This was long considered the specimen used to first describe the dodo species in the 1600s. However, this attribution has been proven false, and the specimen is composite.
– The Helsinki Dodo – This complete skeleton in Finland has been alternately described as a genuine 17th century specimen and a forgery assembled much later from various bones.
– 1755 Mare aux Songes Specimens – Charles Bewick supposedly collected natural history specimens from Mauritius in 1755, including dodo bones. But this claim is now considered highly dubious.
– 1942 Plaster Casts – Naturalist Herbert Ponting claimed to have made castings of a complete dodo skeleton in Mauritius caves in 1942. However, the unverifiable specimens disappeared after being shipped to London.
– Dodo Egg at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. – This egg was acquired in 1798 but may be an altered emu or ostrich egg.
– 1963 Mauritius Foot Bones – Bones claimed to be the first dodo remains found on Mauritius in 1830 were dismissed as likely pigeon bones in a 1963 analysis.
As dodo specimens are so rare,authentication has often proven difficult. Caution is warranted any time new dodo material surfaces given the allure and value posed by such finds.
Conclusion
While the dodo has become an icon of extinction, very little physical evidence of its existence remains. There are only about 13 complete skeletons, fewer than 10 complete skins or feathers, around 500 bone fragments, and virtually no soft tissue specimens. The great majority of these remains are spread across museums, with a few key sites on Mauritius producing fossils and subfossil material. Discoveries peaked in the late 19th century and have since leveled off, making new dodo finds highly unlikely. With so few remains, the dodo stands as one of the most poorly represented extinct species and continues to capture imagination through its dramatic rarity.