As these newly introduced animals began to roam free throughout the island, they reproduced on a large scale and began to hunt local food sources. These individuals brought with them a number of invasive species including: rats, cats, pigs, and dogs.
Scientists now believe that the introduction of non-native species to the island was the biggest impact made by European sailors. Researchers now claim that, although a valid factor, this is an oversimplification of its path to extinction. This behavior, combined with its flightless status, made the dodo bird an easy target for human hunters and it quickly became a staple in the diet of European sailors. The dodo bird had not learned to be afraid of another species and so faced European explorers with curiosity rather than fear. This fearlessness was the result of a lack of natural predators throughout the island of Mauritius. At the core of this theory is the fact that this bird was largely unafraid of humans when the two first made contact. Perhaps the most commonly quoted reason for the dodo bird’s extinction is that it was hunted to extinction. Below are a few of the factors that contributed to the extinction of the dodo bird. Several theories attempt to explain exactly how the dodo bird went extinct and a number of events have been attributed to its unfortunate and rapid demise. In a timespan of only around 100 years, the dodo bird ceased to exist in the wild. Its iconic status as a symbol of species extinction is due to how rapidly this species went extinct after first being discovered by European explorers. The dodo bird is often used as a symbol of the lasting damage humans can have on the environment and animal survival rates. The dodo bird is perhaps most recognized by the large, bulbous tip on its hooked beak. Its head is believed to have been bald and it had extra plumage around its tail. Neither photograph nor complete skeleton exists of this flightless bird, however, researchers believe it was covered with grey to brown-colored feathers. It was an endemic species and could only be found on Mauritius, an island located in the Indian Ocean. This bird grew to around 3 feet in height and weighed between 23 and 39 pounds. Scientists later determined that the dodo bird belonged to the same family as pigeons and doves (the Columbidae family). It was originally mistaken as a close relative of several different birds, including the albatross, the vulture, and the ostrich. The dodo was a bird species that went extinct during the mid-17th century.
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