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Dodo birds Liger( group 7)
Information about Dodo birds • The Dodo (Raphuscucullatus) is an extinct, flightless bird that was endemic to the Mascarene island of Mauritius east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It is genetically related to pigeons and doves, and its closest relative is the likewise extinct Rodrigues Solitaire, the two forming the Raphinae subfamily. The closest living relative is the Nicobar Pigeon. A white Dodo was believed to have existed on the nearby island of Réunion, but this is now known to be incorrect.[3]
Diet • The Dodo likely subsisted on fallen fruits, nuts, seeds, bulbs and roots. A 1631 document, rediscovered in 1887 but now lost, is the only account of its diet, and also mentions that it used the beak for defense
Extinction • Like many animals that evolved in isolation from significant predators, the Dodo was entirely fearless of humans. This fearlessness along with its inability to fly made the Dodo easy prey for humans.[47] Although some scattered reports describe mass killings of Dodos for ship provisions, archaeological investigations have found scant evidence of human predation. Bones of at least two Dodos were found in caves at Baie du Cap, which sheltered fugitive slaves and convicts in the 17th century, and were not easily accessible to Dodos due to being isolated in high, broken terrain.[16] The human population on Mauritius never exceeded 50 people in the 17th century, on an island of 1,860 km2, but they introduced other animals, including dogs, pigs, cats,rats, and Crab-eating Macaques, which plundered the Dodo nests, and competed for the limited food resources.[27] At the same time, humans destroyed the Dodo's habitat forests; the impact these introduced animals, especially the pigs and macaques, had on the Dodo population is currently considered as more severe than the impact of hunting.[
SOURCE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodo
