Dodo

The Dodo is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of
Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Its appearance in life is evidenced only
by 17th-century paintings and written accounts that vary considerably,
so its exact appearance is a mystery. Little is certain about its
habitat and behaviour. Subfossil remains show the Dodo was about one
1 metre (3.3 feet) tall and may have weighed 10–18 kg (22–40 lb).
It is presumed that the Dodo became flightless because of the ready
availability of abundant food sources and a relative absence of
predators on Mauritius. The first recorded mention of the Dodo was by
Dutch sailors in 1598. In the following years, the bird was preyed upon
by hungry sailors, their domesticated animals, and invasive species
introduced during that time. The last widely accepted sighting of a Dodo
was in 1662. Its extinction within only about a century of its discovery
called attention to the previously unrecognised problem of human
involvement in the disappearance of entire species. The Dodo achieved
widespread recognition from its role in Alice in Wonderland, and it has
become a fixture in popular culture, often as a symbol of extinction and
obsolescence.