As people began inhabiting the area and killing the dodo, the population never recovered and eventually went extinct. The dodo population thrived until Dutch settlements started at Mauritius in 1638. Since they were flightless, they would build their nests on the ground and surround them with grass. While many birds lay more than one egg at a time, it has been speculated from witness reports that a female dodo would lay only one egg at a time. Other birds who once flew but evolved into non-fliers include penguins and ostriches. Without the need for flight to escape predators, dodos adapted to grow larger and eliminated the ability to fly. This is most likely a result of evolutionary biology. Most notably, their wings were too short and their pectoral muscles weren't strong enough to fly. Weighing about 50 pounds, it sported a big head, large hooked-tipped bill and short legs.
After being caught for food for decades, only a handful exist in captivity, and very few are thought to live in the wild.Dodos lived on the Indian island of Mauritius and are descendants of Asian pigeons. Despite reports of a comeback, many experts remain skeptical, and the species is still considered to be critically endangered.įast Facts: An extremely rare species of turtle that lives in the Arakan hills of Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia, this turtle was missing in action from 1908 until 1994. Every male and female pair needs about 10 square miles of habitat to find enough food. After the Civil War, millions of acres of the woodpecker’s forests were destroyed for timber. This fish can grow to more than six feet long and weigh about 200 pounds.įast Facts: This large and rare woodpecker was considered extinct until one was spotted (and more were heard) in Arkansas in 2004. It was thought to have gone extinct nearly 100 million years ago until one showed up off the east coast of South Africa in 1938.
" posted to Write a Funny Caption For This Photo.įast Facts: The coelacanth (said SEE-luh-canth) is the oldest living species of fish.
0 kommentar(er)
