147 FEATURE © Blackwell Publishing Ltd, The Geologists’ Association & The Geological Society of London, Geology Today, Vol. 28, No. 4, July–August 2012 Feature The Dodo: from extinction to the fossil record Julian P. Hume Bird Group, Department of Zoology, Natural History Museum, Akeman Street, Tring, Herts HP23 6AP, UK j.hume@nhm.ac.uk The dodo, Raphus cucullatus (Aves, Columbidae), has become one of the most famous birds in the world, a true icon of extinction. Known from a few contemporary illustrations and accounts, probably more has been written about it than any other species, yet we know practically nothing about the bird in life. Recent excavations on Mauritius are now revealing the ecology and habitat of this iconic bird, and providing new information as to why it was so vulnerable to human interference. Discovery of the Mascarenes The Mascarene Islands, comprising Mauritius, Réun- ion and Rodrigues, are isolated volcanic islands situ- ated in the south-western Indian Ocean (Fig. 1). They lie approximately 665 km east of Madagascar, the nearest large land mass. It was Arab traders who first discovered the Mascarene Islands during the thirteenth century, followed by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century, but there is no evidence that either the Arabs or Portuguese settled there. Mauri- tius was claimed for the Netherlands by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in September 1598, and was used thereafter as a port of call for provision- ing and careening ships, including those from other European maritime nations. During this time, vague accounts were made in ships’ logs and journals about the original fauna, some of which described the dodo. Although inadequate, these accounts have proved in- valuable in helping determine the faunal composition of Mauritius before it was irreversibly destroyed by humans and their commensal animals. It was dur- ing the century of Dutch occupation that the dodo became extinct. Written and pictorial evidence It was VOC company policy that daily records were kept concerning all aspects of the voyages. These in- cluded topographical maps, safe shipping routes and potential harbours, as well as written descriptions. Just occasionally, a member of the fleet would de- scribe or illustrate the animals he encountered. Upon the return of the fleets, the journals became impor- tant source material for artists, scientists and book publishers (Fig. 2). These publications, which were regularly expanded and illustrated long after the voy- age itself, became the source material for scholarly study, but were also plagiarized on numerous occa- sions. This is why the contemporary accounts and illustrations of the dodo are often contradictory, and have resulted in a wealth of scientific myths and mis- conceptions. Transportation of specimens Besides the transportation of trade goods from the Far East, exotic animals were also brought back to Europe as novelties. These curiosities, many new to Fig. 1. Mauritius and Mare aux Songes (MAS). From Rijsdijk et al. (2009).