The dodo, a flightless pigeon the size of a turkey, lived only on Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, where Dutch sailors arrived in 1598. Within a century, hunting, introduced rats, pigs and monkeys that ate the eggs, and loss of forest destroyed it. The last confirmed sighting was by the shipwrecked Volkert Evertsz in 1662, though the species may have lasted somewhat longer. The dodo became a symbol of extinction caused by humans, and appears in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Only fragments of bones and paintings survive.
Before and after
- 7 June 1660Birth of George I of Great Britain
- 6 August 1660Death of Diego Velázquez
- November 1660Founding of Royal Society of London
- 1661Construction of Palace of Versailles
- 1662The last confirmed sighting of the dodo
- 30 April 1662Birth of Mary II of England
- 19 August 1662Death of Blaise Pascal
- 1664Construction of Nymphenburg Palace
- 1664Founding of Easthampton
More in Evolution & life
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- 1741Steller's sea cow is discovered and then hunted to extinction
- 24 November 1974Discovery of Lucy
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 17th century.