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#Study Reveals Dodo Birds Not Stupid as Previously Thought.The dodo, an extinct bird popularly recognized for its stupidity, may actually have been fairly smart, or at least as smart as a common pigeon. This finding is based on a study led by Eugenia Gold, an instructor in the Department of Anatomical Sciences at Stony Brook University, and published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
Dodo Model, PC #5338
The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a large, flightless bird that lived on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. They were last seen in 1662. In the paper, âThe first endocast of the extinct dodo and an anatomical comparison amongst close relatives,â Gold and colleagues find that the overall size of the dodoâs brain in relation to its body size was on par with its closest living relatives: pigeons â birds whose ability to be trained implies a moderate level of intelligence. The researchers also discovered that the dodo had an enlarged olfactory bulb â the part of the brain responsible for smelling â an uncharacteristic trait for birds, which usually concentrate their brainpower into eyesight.
âWhen the island was discovered in the late 1500s, the dodos living there had no fear of humans and they were herded onto boats and used as fresh meat for sailors,â said Gold, whose research centers on brain evolution between flying and non-flying birds. âBecause of that behavior and invasive species that were introduced to the island, they disappeared in less than 100 years after humans arrived. Today, they are almost exclusively known for becoming extinct, and I think thatâs why weâve given them this reputation of being dumb.â
Despite this reputation for stupidity, she adds, most aspects of the dodoâs biology are still unknown. This is partly because dodo specimens are extremely rare, having disappeared during the nascent stage of natural history collections.
To examine the brain of the dodo, Gold used a well-preserved skull from the collections of the Natural History Museum, London, and imaged it#DODO @DODO
Dodo Model, PC #5338
The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a large, flightless bird that lived on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. They were last seen in 1662. In the paper, âThe first endocast of the extinct dodo and an anatomical comparison amongst close relatives,â Gold and colleagues find that the overall size of the dodoâs brain in relation to its body size was on par with its closest living relatives: pigeons â birds whose ability to be trained implies a moderate level of intelligence. The researchers also discovered that the dodo had an enlarged olfactory bulb â the part of the brain responsible for smelling â an uncharacteristic trait for birds, which usually concentrate their brainpower into eyesight.
âWhen the island was discovered in the late 1500s, the dodos living there had no fear of humans and they were herded onto boats and used as fresh meat for sailors,â said Gold, whose research centers on brain evolution between flying and non-flying birds. âBecause of that behavior and invasive species that were introduced to the island, they disappeared in less than 100 years after humans arrived. Today, they are almost exclusively known for becoming extinct, and I think thatâs why weâve given them this reputation of being dumb.â
Despite this reputation for stupidity, she adds, most aspects of the dodoâs biology are still unknown. This is partly because dodo specimens are extremely rare, having disappeared during the nascent stage of natural history collections.
To examine the brain of the dodo, Gold used a well-preserved skull from the collections of the Natural History Museum, London, and imaged it#DODO @DODO
