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The Dodo Bird
The Dodo is an extinct flightless bird that once lived on
the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. They were
related to doves or pigeons and stood a little over three
feet high and weight forty-four pounds. They nested on the
ground and lived off of fruit.
The Dodo has been extinct since the Seventeenth Century. It
is commonly cited as an example of the reason why species
need to be protected from extinction. This is because it is
a species that has become extinct due to human activities.
That is why there are common phrases like "to be as dead as
a Dodo," meaning dead without a doubt. Another phrase
relating to the Dodo is "to go the way of the Dodo" which
means to become extinct or obsolete, to fall out of common
usage or practice, or to become a thing of the past.
The first description of the Dodo that was documented was
made by the Dutch. They called the Mauritius bird the
Walghvogel, meaning wallow bird or loathsome bird in
reference to its taste. Some other writings described the
taste of the bird as tough but good and others as loathsome.
The journal with the first description of the Dodo was from
Vice-admiral Wybrand van Warwijck who came to the island in
1598 and named the island Mauritius.
It is unknown how the Dodo came to be known as the Dodo.
There is a general consensus that the Dodo name came from
the Dutch word "dodoor", meaning sluggard. It is suggested
that it is probably related to the word "dodaars," meaning
knot-arse, for the knot of feathers on the hind end. The
first mention in any literature in reference to the bird
being called Dodo was in 1627 by Thomas Herbert but it is
unclear whether this was really the first time or not.
According to Encarta Dictionary, "Dodo" derives from
Portuguese doudo (currently doido) meaning "fool" or
"crazy". However, the present Portuguese name for the bird,
dodô, is taken from the internationally used word Dodo. Yet
another possibility is that Dodo was an imitation of the
bird's call, a pigeon-like "doo-doo".
In any event, the Dodo's flightlessness and apparent
stupidity, and consequent availability to be killed for food
and sport eventually led to its extinction.
Plush Stuffed Dodos
Rare, Unusual and
Eclectic
What a unique and really cool
gift idea these lovely stuffed Dodo toy birds are.
Go ahead and make someone's day special and get
them one of these stuffed Dodo Birds.
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