The Dodo

The dodo was a flightless bird native to Mauritius that became extinct in the late 1600s. It was about 3 feet tall and weighed around 20-30 kilograms. The dodo had no natural predators until humans arrived, which led to hunting, habitat destruction, and the introduction of invasive species like rats and pigs that ate its eggs. Its extinction is a well-known example of rapid human-induced environmental change. Today, the dodo symbolizes the consequences of human impact on wildlife and is often used as a metaphor for obsolescence and extinction.