The dodo bird
The Dodo Bird is species that has been extinct for many years. Dodo Birds lived on an island in the Indian Ocean named Mauritius. Dodo Birds have many relatives, but its closest relative, the Rodrigues Solitaire is also extinct. Living relatives of the Dodo include doves and pigeons. Dodo Birds lived in the seventeenth century. They were flightless birds that were approximately 3.3 feet tall and weighed anywhere from twenty-two to forty pounds. Dodo birds were large in comparison to other species of birds. Dodo Birds were sometimes hunted by sailors during the time that they lived. A Dodo Birds’ diet consisted of fruit, nuts, roots, and seeds. Dodo Birds laid eggs, and it is believed that they nested on the ground. There are several contributing factors to Dodo Birds’ extinction. Dodos inability to fly and the fact that they were not afraid of humans caused them to be easily hunted. Also when humans began to settle in Dodos habitats they brought with them other species of animals, such as pigs, cats, dogs, and rats, which may have also killed many of the Dodo Birds. Scientists are not exactly sure when it was that the Dodo became extinct, but the last documented sighting of the Dodo Bird was in 1688.