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Hi! My name is Dinky and I am a Dodo. I am also a Ty Beanie Baby. The real Dodo bird became extinct around the year
1681. But, now, thanks to Ty, we are back.
The Dodo was first described in 1598 when some Dutch sailors found them on the island of Mauritius, which is in the Indian Ocean. The bird was flightless and easy prey for both the sailors and the animals they brought with them, such as the cats and rats on board the ships. Hogs let loose in the woods also destroyed the Dodos eggs. The forests in which the Dodos lived were also destroyed, leaving the birds an easy mark for extinction.
Dodos were about the size of a turkey. They nested on the ground and laid one large egg. Grass was used to build the nest.
The name dodo is derived from the Portuguese word duodo, meaning silly or stupid. In present-day usage the word dodo is applied to a simple-minded person unable to adjust to new situations and ideas.
Dodos belong to the family Raphidae of the order Columbiformes. The Mauritius dodo is classified as Raphus cucullatus.
