Renowned scientist, Prof. Leon Claessens from College of the Holy Cross University in Massachusetts, USA, and Project Director of the Aves 3D Database has arrived in Durban to examine the skeleton of a Dodo (scientific name: Raphus cucullatus) that has been part of the artifacts at the Durban Natural Science Museum since 1919.
Dodos were gigantic flightless birds that lived only on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. They stood over a metre tall and weighed at least 20 kilograms. Remarkably, their closest relatives are pigeons. These unique birds went extinct in the late 1600s, relatively soon after humans established themselves on this far-flung island. Hunting and forest clearing by the early settlers and predation of Dodo eggs and chicks by pigs, monkeys, dogs, cats and rats introduced to the island were responsible for sealing their fate.
The Dodo skeleton proudly on display at the Museum is one of the most complete and best preserved in the world. Indeed, it apparently contains some skeletal elements not found anywhere else.Prof. Claessens and his team are currently subjecting the skeleton to a high-tech and rigorous three-dimensional laser surface-scanning process. Details of this technique can be seen at: http://Aves3D.org.
It is hoped that the work of Prof. Claessens will provide further insights on the valuable Durban specimen. Of particular interest would be to confirm that the Durban skeleton is the `partner’ of the one in the museum in Mauritius, just how complete it is, exactly which elements are unique to, or at least best preserved in, the Durban specimen, and whether or not it contains elements of more than one individual bird. The whole exercise is a wonderful example of old Museum treasures promising new and valuable scientific insights when subjected to the latest technology.
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