The Dodo, Volquard Iversen

Extinct 1662Mauritius

“Amongst other birds... were those which men in the Indies call doddaerssen; they were larger than geese but not able to fly. Instead of wings they had small flaps; but they could run very fast... When we held one by the leg he let out a cry, others came running forward to help the prisoner, and were themselves caught.” - last eyewitness account of the Dodo

Quammen, David. The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions. New York: Scribner, 1996. 273-274.

The Dodo<, courtesy of The National History Museum: UK.