Raphus cucullatus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	COLUMBIFORMES	RAPHIDAE

Scientific Name:

Raphus cucullatus

Species Authority:

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Dodo

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Extinct ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Bird, J., Butchart, S.

History:

2004	–	Extinct
2000	–	Extinct
1994	–	Extinct
1988	–	Extinct

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Raphus cucullatus is known from numerous bones, specimen fragments, reports and paintings from Mauritius⁵. It was last reported from an offshore islet by Iversen in 1662¹, and although there was a report by an escaped slave in 1674 and statistical techniques indicate that it is likely to have persisted until 1690⁷, it is generally considered taht all references to "dodos" thereafter refer to Red Rail Aphanapteryx bonasia⁸.
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Range Description:

Raphus cucullatus is known from numerous bones, specimen fragments, reports and paintings from Mauritius⁵. It was last reported from an offshore islet by Iversen in 1662¹, and although there was a report by an escaped slave in 1674 and statistical techniques indicate that it is likely to have persisted until 1690⁷, it is generally considered taht all references to "dodos" thereafter refer to Red Rail Aphanapteryx bonasia⁸.

Range Map:

Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	It was mainly a species of the dry lowland forests⁴, although possible mutualism with the upland tambalacoque tree Calvaria major⁶ suggests that it may have ranged into the hills². The species was flightless³ and tame².
Systems:	Terrestrial

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Due to its tameness and large size it was very heavily hunted for food by sailors².

Major Threat(s):

Due to its tameness and large size it was very heavily hunted for food by sailors².

Bibliography [top]

	Cheke, A. S. 1987. An ecological history of the Mascarene Islands, with particular reference to extinctions and introductions of land vertebrates. In: Diamond, A.W. (ed.), Studies of Mascarene island birds, pp. 5-89. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K. Cheke, A.S. 2006. Establishing extinction dates - the curious case of the Dodo Raphus cucullatus and the Red Hen Aphanapteryx bonasis. Ibis 148: 155-158. Hachisuka, M. 1953. The Dodo and kindred birds. Witherby, London. Livezey, B. C. 1993. An ecomorphological review of the Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) and Solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria), flightless Columbiformes of the Mascarene Islands. Journal of Zoology (London) 230: 247-292. Owadally, A. W. 1979. The Dodo and the tambalacoque tree. Science 203: 1363-1364. Roberts, D. L.; Solow, A. R. 2003. When did the dodo become extinct? Nature 426(6464): 245. Strickland, H. G.; Melville, A. G. 1848. The Dodo and its kindred. Reeve, Benham and Reeve, London. Temple, S. A. 1977. Plant-animal mutualism: coevolution with Dodos leads to near extinction of plant. Science 197: 885-886.

Cheke, A. S. 1987. An ecological history of the Mascarene Islands, with particular reference to extinctions and introductions of land vertebrates. In: Diamond, A.W. (ed.), Studies of Mascarene island birds, pp. 5-89. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.

Cheke, A.S. 2006. Establishing extinction dates - the curious case of the Dodo Raphus cucullatus and the Red Hen Aphanapteryx bonasis. Ibis 148: 155-158.

Hachisuka, M. 1953. The Dodo and kindred birds. Witherby, London.

Livezey, B. C. 1993. An ecomorphological review of the Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) and Solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria), flightless Columbiformes of the Mascarene Islands. Journal of Zoology (London) 230: 247-292.

Owadally, A. W. 1979. The Dodo and the tambalacoque tree. Science 203: 1363-1364.

Roberts, D. L.; Solow, A. R. 2003. When did the dodo become extinct? Nature 426(6464): 245.

Strickland, H. G.; Melville, A. G. 1848. The Dodo and its kindred. Reeve, Benham and Reeve, London.

Temple, S. A. 1977. Plant-animal mutualism: coevolution with Dodos leads to near extinction of plant. Science 197: 885-886.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2008. Raphus cucullatus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 21 May 2012.
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