Dodo

Dodo bird — © Zveriki.com, AI-generated image based on the original work of Joseph Dinkel, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany
Mass
96.4–246 g
Length
800–1000 mm
Lifespan
7300 days 20 years
43502
0
1
dodo-bird
en
dodo bird
Raphus cucullatus
The Mauritian dodo was a large flightless bird that lived only on the island of Mauritius. The bird became completely extinct at the end of the 17th century after the arrival of humans and introduced animals.
The dodo differed greatly from its pigeon relatives in its large size, inability to fly, and complete lack of fear of humans. It played an important role in Mauritius forests by dispersing large plant seeds that could not germinate without passing through its digestive system.
collected and crushed food with its beak
trophic:herbivore
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Mass (adult pigeon, male)
96.4–246 g
Mass (adult pigeon, female)
96.4–246 g
Mass (egg)
7.5–20 g
Mass (squab)
29.4–100 g
Length (adult pigeon)
800–1000 mm
Length (egg)
52.88–88.13 mm
Wingspan
1000–1250 mm
Height
1000 mm
Lifespan maximum
3616–6027 days 10–17 years
Litter size
1
Maturity
730–1460 days 2–4 years
Offspring
1
Legs count (adult pigeon)
2
Wings count (adult pigeon)
2
Beak count (adult pigeon)
1
Beak size (adult pigeon)
0.15–0.22 mm
Legs size (adult pigeon)
0.25–0.4 mm
Wings size (adult pigeon)
0.2–0.35 mm
Comparable in mass
Carry-on luggage
Biome
Tropical moist forest
Realm
world of Afrotropics
Realm
Oceanian realm
Climate
Always hot and wet
Landscape
terrestrial forest
Landscape
terrestrial
Climate
Always hot
Climate
Hot, little precipitation in winter
Climate
Low precipitation in winter
Shelter
nest
Trophic type
herbivore
Reproduction (egg)
Egg shell color
7300.0
7300.0
800.0
1000.0
96.40387699672665
246.00670365990842
Immature form that undergoes metamorphosis before adulthood.
Worker
Were {name} like {animal}, then:
birth time
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
g
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
Legs count
very hot and very humid all year round, rain almost every day
days
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
beak
adult pigeon
Maturity
Carry-on luggage
About health
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
results
Oceanian realm
Colors
Sex
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
hot, rains in summer, little precipitation in winter
Uses jaws or beak to break hard-shelled or tough food items.
conifer cones
little precipitation in winter, more in summer
Trophic type
Filters
always hot and humid, huge trees and vines
Upcoming birthdays
Breeding structure built or used for laying eggs and raising offspring.
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
Height
4.8 to 6 kilograms, 0.8 – 1.4 meters
Age (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
cones of coniferous trees with seeds
Hot, little precipitation in winter
woodland
Age (embryo)
Wanderers
Age (larva)
Wings size
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
More:
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
fruits
roots
Lifespan average
fledgling
Juvenile stage following larval metamorphosis but not yet adult.
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
Wings color
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
end of acceleration
Share
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
Pets
Legs size
{name} jubilee
cm
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
Wingspan
turns
Rascals
terrestrial forest
Tail color
hot Africa south of the desert, many savannas and forests
Litter size
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Share
Actively searching habitats to locate food items.
Where are they found?
herbivore
Down color
Low precipitation in winter
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Tropical moist forest
Elders
Bro
Taxons
seeds, berries, fruits
if born as {name}
Wings count
age
birth date
Close
Egg shell color
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
primary food sources
Beak size
Potential Habitat
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
Mass
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
{name} birthday
Link copied
Always hot
No results found
On the map
Female ♀
all life stages
world of Afrotropics
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0 Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Beak count
birth year
Maturity
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
sq mm
yr
nuts
Beak color
How similar?
Male ♂
until the celebration
squab
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
Legs color
What if eaten?
Neither
from birth to adulthood
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
nest
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
from birth to death
squab
Plumage color
forests on land — tropical, temperate, boreal
world of Afrotropics
Duration
Always hot and wet
This is me
Gamers
crushing
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
terrestrial
Asexual
swap
roots and plant tubers
Who among us will transform as if by magic and become like {animal}?
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Where do they take shelter?
many islands in the Pacific Ocean, warm seas and corals
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
very hot all year round, frequent rains, but sometimes dry
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
foraging
Hermaphrodite ⚥
egg
Hard, projecting mouthpart used to probe, pluck, or crack food.
Length
kg
Observations
hard nuts — acorns, hazelnuts, pine nuts
◉{N} more on tap
pupa
imago
young bird
dodo-bird
mavrikijskij-dront
struthio-cucullatus
dwdw
mavrikijskij-dront
mavrikyan-dront
dodo-niao
dodo
mavrikijskij-dront
dodo
mavrikijskij-dront
dodo
dodo-bird
dodo
du-du-niao
  • The dodo lost the ability to fly due to the absence of predators and an abundance of food, such as fallen fruits. It is believed that there were no dangerous animals on the island.
  • The dodo's name is used for some genetic elements in memory of the flightless bird. In fruit flies, the gene related to flight has the same name.
  • The dodo had a heavy, hooked beak that may have been used in territorial disputes. On Rodrigues Island, its relative, the Rodrigues solitaire, was more aggressive and used its wings in conflicts.
  • Bioengineers first grew primary sex cells of the Nicobar pigeon, the dodo's closest relative. On September 17, a biotech startup announced this achievement.
  • The dodo reached a height of about 1 meter and weighed up to 23 kg. In the wild, its weight ranged from 10.6 to 21.1 kg.
  • The dodo could not fly due to skeletal features, such as thick pelvic bones and underdeveloped wings. The thoracic region and wings were paedomorphic, retaining characteristics typical of chicks.
  • The exact appearance of the dodo remains unknown. Since sketches made from live specimens differ from each other, the bird's appearance cannot be determined precisely.
  • The dodo used stones to help digest food. Modern sources suggest this was necessary, as its diet had to be broad enough to avoid starving during sea voyages.
  • Male Mauritius dodos were larger than females and had longer beaks. The male beak reached 23 cm in length and had a hook at the end.
  • The dodo's name is used for some genetic elements in memory of the flightless bird. In fruit flies, the gene related to flight has the same name.

Phenotype

  • The dodo had a heavy, hooked beak that may have been used in territorial disputes. On Rodrigues Island, its relative, the Rodrigues solitaire, was more aggressive and used its wings in conflicts.
  • The dodo could not fly due to skeletal features, such as thick pelvic bones and underdeveloped wings. The thoracic region and wings were paedomorphic, retaining characteristics typical of chicks.
  • The exact appearance of the dodo remains unknown. Since sketches made from live specimens differ from each other, the bird's appearance cannot be determined precisely.
  • Male Mauritius dodos were larger than females and had longer beaks. The male beak reached 23 cm in length and had a hook at the end.

Physiology

  • Bioengineers first grew primary sex cells of the Nicobar pigeon, the dodo's closest relative. On September 17, a biotech startup announced this achievement.
  • Male Mauritius dodos were larger than females and had longer beaks. The male beak reached 23 cm in length and had a hook at the end.

Size

  • The dodo reached a height of about 1 meter and weighed up to 23 kg. In the wild, its weight ranged from 10.6 to 21.1 kg.

Geography

  • The dodo had a heavy, hooked beak that may have been used in territorial disputes. On Rodrigues Island, its relative, the Rodrigues solitaire, was more aggressive and used its wings in conflicts.

Feeding

  • The dodo lost the ability to fly due to the absence of predators and an abundance of food, such as fallen fruits. It is believed that there were no dangerous animals on the island.
  • The dodo used stones to help digest food. Modern sources suggest this was necessary, as its diet had to be broad enough to avoid starving during sea voyages.

Reproduction

  • The dodo used stones to help digest food. Modern sources suggest this was necessary, as its diet had to be broad enough to avoid starving during sea voyages.
  • The dodo lost the ability to fly due to the absence of predators and an abundance of food, such as fallen fruits. It is believed that there were no dangerous animals on the island.
  • The dodo had a heavy, hooked beak that may have been used in territorial disputes. On Rodrigues Island, its relative, the Rodrigues solitaire, was more aggressive and used its wings in conflicts.
  • Bioengineers first grew primary sex cells of the Nicobar pigeon, the dodo's closest relative. On September 17, a biotech startup announced this achievement.
  • The dodo could not fly due to skeletal features, such as thick pelvic bones and underdeveloped wings. The thoracic region and wings were paedomorphic, retaining characteristics typical of chicks.
  • The dodo used stones to help digest food. Modern sources suggest this was necessary, as its diet had to be broad enough to avoid starving during sea voyages.
  • Male Mauritius dodos were larger than females and had longer beaks. The male beak reached 23 cm in length and had a hook at the end.