Correction, 10/11/13 1 p.m. EDT: The original version of this article incorrectly identified the home of the dodo. Prior to its extinction, the dodo only ever lived on the island of Mauritius. The first paragraph of the story has been revised to reflect that fact. We regret the error.
We all vaguely remember the humble dodo. A large bird, the dodo went about its business on the island of Mauritius until the Dutch arrived. The Europeans named it derisively—a pun on “fat-ass” is the etymologists’ best guess—and proceeded, with the aid of their shipboard rats, to hunt it into extinction. The dodo lives on as a character in Alice in Wonderland, and as a cultural reference for creatures facing impending doom.
