The Dodo bird is one of the most famous birds in the world, despite the fact that nobody alive has actually seen one. They have been extinct since the 17th century, thanks almost entirely to humans.

This flightless bird made the mistake of trusting European colonizers and not having a natural fear of them. The fact that they were such easy prey for hunting and that aggressive animals that Europeans brought with them, including dogs, rats, and cats, meant that these birds quickly became rare and then disappeared entirely.

Fortunately, one of these birds was collected in 1683 and kept at Oxford for study. By 1755, much of the bird had deteriorated and had to be destroyed, but the head and one of its feet were able to be preserved. Since then, these remains have been extensively studied by biologists and others hoping to learn more about the bird.

In 2002, scientists at Oxford were able to pull out genetic samples, including DNA, from the specimen so that they could learn more about the bird. They found that it is a member of the Columbiformes family of birds, which also includes pigeons and doves. The closest relative to the Dodo is the Nicobar pigeon, which lives in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The Oxford Dodo even had a forensic scientist scanning its remains using the latest CT Scan technology. What they found was that this particular bird was killed by a gunshot wound to the neck and head. It is not known who shot the bird, but it was likely done on a hunt, which was very common at the time.

Dodos are known to have been about 1 meter (3 feet) tall and weighed around 20 kilograms (44lbs). Paintings of the birds show them to have big beaks and boast a plump body, though many experts think they were likely thinner than those paintings show.

The last confirmed live Dodo was seen in 1662, though they likely survived in the wild until around 1690.

To get a better look at the Oxford Dodo, check out this video, which shows the CT scan of its skull and soft tissue, which is the only known soft tissue of this bird preserved today.

The Dodo bird is an excellent example of why people need to take care to conserve and protect animals throughout the world. Even if they seem safe and doing well today, an entire species can be wiped out in just a generation.

There is no word as to whether scientists will try to bring the Dodo back from extinction using the DNA that they now have. This species may make a good candidate for this since it was clearly pushed to extinction specifically due to human involvement. Personally, I would love to see Dodo birds walking the Earth once more.

We owe it to them.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about 50 amazing finds on Google Earth.