Bill Bryson writes so well that his novels are a treat to read and listen!
In this amazing novel called ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’, Bill Bryson tells us about DODO!
Has anyone called you one!?
I am actually a DODO! Trusting and, well an idiot!
If you are one then, well be careful (That is a note to myself!)
Now maybe DODO is akin to being dumb, it has been found that they were not ‘DUMB’ in any sense!
In fact based on recent scientific research, dodo birds were not “dumb” or stupid as historically portrayed.
CT scans of their skulls revealed they had average brain sizes relative to their body size, with intelligence likely similar to that of modern pigeons.
Their fearlessness of humans was due to a lack of natural predators on Mauritius, not a lack of intelligence! This means that they did not know the danger! They were too trusting! That is being simple! Not dumb!
In fact a 2016 study using high-resolution CT scans of a skull from the American Museum of Natural History found the dodo’s brain was comparable in size and proportion to its closest living relative, the pigeon!
The dodo was actually well-adapted to its island environment. The only issue was that they evolved in the absence of predators, making them unafraid of humans!
Evidence also suggests the dodo had a large olfactory bulb (the brain region responsible for smelling), which is unusual for birds, suggesting they relied on a good sense of smell to find food!
By the way the last known stuffed DODO was burned by a super ‘intelligent’ dude who thought that the stuffing has become ‘musty’ in his own words!
The 1755 Bonfire was mentioned by Bryson when the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford burned its stuffed dodo, as it had become musty, only saving a head and limb!
Of course the DODO’s biggest issue was that it did not fear since it had no fear!
The dodo’s demise was swift (extinct by the late 17th century) because they did not fear humans, which Bryson highlights as a case of extreme vulnerability!
They would approach humans with trust and they were repaid by being DINNER or LUNCH! They never fought back and never ran away!
Another theory also is that the DODO laid their eggs on the ground with no security! That means that their most precious possessions were open to everyone! The Dutch which came later bought with them pigs which then snacked upon the remaining DODO eggs!
Sure enough within a few years; the whole pack of trusting and frankly Noble bird became extinct and to add to the insult became a DODO or fool!
In the novel the story of the dodo serves as a narrative bookend to discuss the broader impact of human activity on biodiversity.
If you want to see the only remaining DODO ‘specimen’ you can see the “soft tissue” of a dodo that was alive in Europe with a single head and leg!
This is why we do not trust everyone and lock our doors!
Trust doesn’t get you medals!
Which reminds me of Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore who became the first Indian post-independence to win an individual silver at the Olympics!
Now sleep like a dodo!
Shub ratri!
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