Why did the dodo bird become extinct?
The odd-looking bird known as Raphus cucullatus in scientific circles, but commonly called the dodo, was only known to humans for a scant 80-some years before it disappeared off the face of the Earth. Portuguese sailors discovered the creature in 1598 on Mauritius, a small island off the coast of Africa. The bird had no natural predators before the arrival of humans, and so it was not afraid of these strange new interlopers. Mistaking its lack of fear for a lack of intelligence, the sailors called the bird the “dodo” from the Portuguese “doudou,” meaning “simpleton.” After the remote island became inhabited by humans, the dodo’s fate was seale
