Dodo Patched [VERIFIED]

The dodo was not a biological "mistake" but a masterpiece of island speciation. Genetic analysis has revealed that its closest living relative is the , though the dodo evolved to be significantly larger, weighing approximately 12 kg (about 26 pounds). The dodo bird: The real facts about this icon of extinction

The Dodo: From Island Giant to Global Icon of Loss The Dodo ( Raphus cucullatus ) is perhaps the most famous example of human-induced extinction in history. Once a thriving, flightless bird endemic to the isolated island of in the Indian Ocean, it vanished within a century of its discovery by European sailors. Today, it survives not in the wild, but as a powerful cultural symbol—a cautionary tale of how quickly a species can disappear when its world is turned upside down. 1. A Relic of Island Evolution The dodo was not a biological "mistake" but