![]() ![]() The adult dodo stood about a metre tall, and weighed more or less the same as a cocker spaniel. An illustration of a dodo (19th century) © Getty images – ![]() From these, we know that the dodo had a greyish-brown plumage, with tufty, white tail feathers. Live specimens were shipped to Europe in the 16th century, where they were put on display, and then sometimes stuffed. According to these descriptions, the dodo was fast, slow, fat, thin, stooped, straight, pigeon-toed, web-footed, easy to catch, hard to catch, grey, black and blue. The knowledge we do have comes from analyses of its disarticulated remains, and the reports of those who encountered or heard about it. We know that it was well established when Dutch sailors became the first human visitors to Mauritius in 1598, but there’s still so much more about the dodo that we don’t understand. Some sources claim that the name came from 16th century Portuguese sailors who called them ‘doudo’, meaning ‘fool’ or ‘crazy.’ The word ‘dodo’ isn’t exactly kind either.Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus, who devised the modern system of naming organisms, bought into the misconception that dodos were clumsy and stupid.In reference to this, and the dodo’s portly frame, they called the dodos ‘kermisgans.’ The day after they weighed anchor in Mauritius, the Dutch crew of the Gelderland observed the festival of Kermesse, which involved eating fattened fowl.They called the dodo ‘walchvögel’ or ‘repulsive bird.’ Seafarers who ate dodo meat, described it as tough and unpleasant. ![]()
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