Discover the Quirky Side of Extinct Birds: Top 12 Fun Facts About Dodo Birds Revealed!

1. Dodo Buffet Extinction

Much to the Dodo's chagrin, it didn't partake in the "Circle of Life" soundtrack but instead fell prey to a buffet of foreign foodies: The extinction of Dodo birds can be attributed to invasive species outcompeting them for grub and gobbling up their vulnerable offspring.
Source => reviverestore.org

2. Dodo Law School Myth

Did you hear about the dodo's brief stint in law school? They may have been bird-brained, but they never passed the bar-ossal: In reality, dodo birds were never associated with the legal profession or any coat of arms, but served as a food source for the sailors of the Dutch East India Company, resulting in their extensive hunting during the 17th century.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Did you know the fearsome T-rex was actually more of a scavenger than a hunter? Explore how its incredible sense of smell and 12 ⅞-inch teeth reveal a surprising truth behind this iconic dinosaur.

=> Fun Facts about Dinosaurs

3. Misunderstood Dodo Features

If you've ever been called a "dodo" and took it as a compliment, kudos to you, my fine-feathered friend: Despite a reputation as a lumbering oaf, the dodo bird actually possessed distinct physical features such as a sturdy frame, powerful legs, and a long, curved beak that made it a supreme forager in its native habitat, until humans landed on their shores and inadvertently introduced a cast of invasive species that ultimately caused this quirky bird's extinction.
Source => colossal.com

4. Speedy Dodo Birds

Hold on to your feathers, folks: turns out the dodo bird wasn't a dodo after all! Despite their plump and bumbling appearance, these pudgy paragons of poultry were actually rather quick on their feet: research reveals that the dodo was able to run at some impressive speeds due to their flightless evolution on predator-free Mauritius, sporting short wings and underdeveloped pectoral muscles for terrestrial triumphs.
Source => discovermagazine.com

5. Dodo Tag Champs

When the dodo bird played tag, it didn't need wings to win: this flightless creature dashed around its island home at speeds up to 20 miles per hour and skillfully waded through shallow waters to reach its grub.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. Not-so-Dunce Dodos

If dodos could talk, they'd probably tell us that they've been the victim of a great bird-brained character assassination, and they'd be kvetching about it 'till the cows come home. Or, in their case, extinct: Contrary to popular belief, dodos were as intelligent as their cousins, pigeons and doves, with a brain size proportional to their bodies, and even had an enlarged olfactory region for sniffing out ripened fruity treats. So, they were far from being dodos in the dunce cap department!
Source => reuters.com

7. Human-Caused Dodo Demise

Before the dodo could say, "Excuse me, I believe I'm going extinct!" – indeed, it surely went that way: The dodo bird, a native of the Mascarene island of Mauritius, met its untimely demise in the late 17th century, primarily due to human-induced habitat destruction and ecological alterations.
Source => abcnews.go.com

8. Dodo's Pie-less Diet

Next time you encounter a dodo in your dreams or your time machine, don't say "Who ate all the pies?": Dodo birds were actually leaner and more proportional to their avian brethren, with their short legs unfairly earning them a plump reputation.
Source => animals.howstuffworks.com

9. Not-quite-cousin Ostrich

What did the dodo say to the ostrich at the family reunion? "Fancy seeing you here, but we're not quite cousins!": In fact, the dodo bird wasn't a long-lost relative of the ostrich, but rather a part of the Raphini, a group of 15 island-adapted pigeons, many of which have tragically gone extinct due to human interference.
Source => 10000birds.com

10. Dodo and the Mystery Trees

Forget the age-old chicken or the egg question, we're talking dodo birds and mysterious trees over here: Contrary to popular belief, it remains uncertain whether the dodo bird actually feasted on the fruit of the Tambalacoque tree and played a part in germinating its seeds, or if these flightless birds from Mauritius were just modishly flirting with a variety of fruits, seeds, and small animals for their culinary delight.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

11. Fast-Growing Dodo Chicks

They called them "fast food with wings," but not because they were evasive: Dodo chicks shot up the growth charts, hitting almost adult size in a shockingly brief window before summer storms rolled in and food became as scarce as hen's teeth.
Source => nhm.ac.uk

12. Heavyweight Island Champs

You could say dodo birds were the heavyweight champs of the island, but it wasn't their boxing skills or knockouts that earned them this title: In reality, these flightless fowls could weigh up to 46 pounds for males and around 37 pounds for females due to their robust legs required for ambulating the tropical island of Mauritius.
Source => kids.kiddle.co