Modern Developments
The Oxford Dodo, likely the dodo that Sir Hamon L'Estrange observed as a living specimen in London in the 17th C.provides the last remaining soft dodo tissue available in the world. This specimen somehow made its way from Mauritius to Europe and was eventually acquired by English naturalist and professional gardener John Tradescant the Elder and was held in his museum, the Musaeum Tradescantianum (Tradescant 1656). The specimen was later given to Elias Ashmole who brought it to the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. This soft tissue has been important in furthering dodo research using modern technology.
Moreover, research has been done on the island of Mauritius, as the dodo's home and natural habitat. These studies reveal the environment the dodo would have likely experienced when extant. It has been discovered that dodo birds, through analysis of the tissue samples, ate a primarily herbaceous diet, supplemented by fruit, seeds, nuts, and eggs. This can be determined based on the amount of Carbon 13 and Nitrogen 15 in the dodo remains. Reviewing the environment of Mauritius has allowed researchers to determine that the high-feeding period for the dodo would have been in early to late spring time, when plants are flowering and the tortoise eggs were laid (Parish 2013). Understanding the source of its food has allowed us to better comprehend its morphology as well. For instance, its stocky stance would enable it to remain upright when digging up tortoise eggs and its lumpy appearance may have been reflective of its extended gastrointestinal tract, allowing it to digest the thick outer layers of fruits and nuts that it would forage for (Parish 2013). In this way, its form, which was much derided by earlier observers, was well suited for its environment.
The dodo had been believed to be extant in a persistently grotesque state. However, this may not have been the case. The Mauritian climate offered these birds a season of high-feeding, and a counter season with little to offer. It was likely that during this low season the birds would be much leaner and slimmer than depicted in nearly all renderings of it. European sailors to the Indian Ocean generally visited Mauritius based on the seasonal wind cycles, so they may not have been able to observe it continuously, as its physical form changed throughout each year.
Genetic analysis on the dodo has revealed that it is not closely related to the other modern flightless birds that it was compared with like the ostrich and the turkey. Rather, the dodo's closest relative is the Rodrigues solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria), a small ground dwelling bird from the island of Rodrigues east of Mauritius, that is also extinct. The closest living relative has been determined to be the Nicobar pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica) from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands off the coast of India (Oxford Dodo n.d.).
The scientific name for the dodo has been changed once more to Raphus cucullatus. This current name was first coined in 1760 but was not accepted by the world scientific community until after the time of Carolus Linnaeus. Raphus refers to extinct birds from the the Indian Ocean islands, and cucullatus refers to its hardened front of the head resembling a hood-like structure (University of Utrecht).
