About This Project

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

The dodo, Raphus cucullatus, was a giant pigeon once native to the isle of Mauritius. It became extinct only 400 years ago when humans colonized the island. Unfortunately, it can’t seem to shake its image of a fat, clumsy bird that was destined for extinction. Our research shows that quite the opposite was true.

Paleontological and geological analysis of the dodo mass grave Mare aux Songes shows that dodos were able to survive extreme climatic events, such as extreme droughts. Preliminary results of our anatomical study of the Port Louis dodo specimen suggests that the dodo was highly adapted to Mauritius’ unique ecosystem.

We will gather data that will be incorporated in the first biomechanical model of the dodo skull. This will help us to reconstruct what, and how, the dodo ate.

What is the significance of this project?

In 2011, at the start of our investigation of the exceptional dodo skeleton on display in the Port Louis Museum in Mauritius, we made a 3-D laser surface scan of the complete skeleton.

However, to fully understand how the dodo skull worked, we need to capture new information that is critical to reconstructing the forces that the jaw muscles generated, and to model the stresses that the dodo jaws could withstand.

Knowing what the dodo ate, and how, is of fundamental importance to understanding its place in the Mauritian ecosystem and the forces that may have contributed to its ultimate demise.

What are the goals of the project?

With this project, we aim to capture crucial details of the dodo skull that laser surface scanning was not able to detect and record before, including obstructed muscle insertions and blocked articular surfaces that are paramount for modeling dodo jaw mechanics and feeding behaviour.