An enlightening Ted-Ed lesson that was written by Dr. Leon Claessens and directed by Denys Spolitak, explains how the arrival of people and different invasive species induced the dodo chicken to develop into extinct.
Uncover the most typical misperceptions about dodos, and discover out the reality of how the flightless birds really went extinct.
The dodo is traditionally considered dumb; nevertheless, these birds had been completely suited to their atmosphere, as their stout our bodies allowed them to outlive all kinds of maximum climate occasions on the volcanic island of Mauritius. They additionally grew to become flightless as over 800 kilometers of water saved pure predators at bay.
About 8 million years in the past, an underwater volcano shaped one other island on the chain, which might come to be often known as Mauritius. Some of the birds populated this new island, too, and down the road, dodos emerged as a definite species. They shared Mauritius with bats, lizards, big tortoises, and different birds. The closest giant predators had been held again by about 800 kilometers of ocean, so getting murdered was mainly a non-issue.
Life was good for the dodo till Dutch sailors got here on shore in 1598, bringing with them a wide range of totally different animals, all of whom had been invasive species. Sadly, the dodo and different Mauritian animals didn’t know the right way to defend themselves after residing with out predators for thus lengthy.
Mauritian animals hadn’t developed to worry being hunted by people, so that they had been a straightforward catch. …The Dutch sailors …introduced macaques that had been in all probability pets. They launched goats and pigs on the island to ascertain meals sources. …sailors additionally inadvertently launched rats. … all of them competed with dodos for sources.
Sadly, the remaining is historical past for the dodo, a powerful, intelligent chicken whose eradication was by way of no fault of their very own.
All in all, the dodo was, in truth, a survivor that withstood main pure disasters and thrived on its island home. It merely wasn’t ready for a sudden onslaught of invasive species. …In the aftermath, maybe it was simpler to declare the dodo’s extinction the results of its private failing than to confess it was a human one.
