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Scientists Find Preserved Dodo Bird Bones

nz17 writes "BBC News is reporting that a team of Dutch and Mauritian scientists have found what appears to be a mass dodo bird grave. From the article: 'Little is known about the dodo, a famous flightless bird thought to have become extinct in the 17th century. No complete skeleton has ever been found in Mauritius, and the last full set of bones was destroyed in a fire at a museum in Oxford, England, in 1755.'"

15 of 224 comments (clear)

  1. Huh by josteos · · Score: 5, Funny

    I didn't know SCO was headquartered on Mauritius.....

    --
    Save the Music; Save the World at http://www.TuneTriever.com (Our latest Android game)
  2. SEND IN THE CLONES!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    That would be neat if we could clone the birds somehow, I'm not sure if that's possible any more, but maybe in the marrow or something...

    1. Re:SEND IN THE CLONES!!! by Xugumad · · Score: 4, Informative
  3. Well by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Take that DNA, clone those fuckers, raise 'em on a farm, and sell me some Dodo McNuggets!

    1. Re:Well by antifoidulus · · Score: 5, Informative

      According to the Europeans who came to the island, they were not all that good. From the wikipedia article:

      There is a persistent myth that Dodos were eaten as food for the long voyages between the Cape of Good Hope and Asia, but neither historical nor archeological findings corroborate this. Dodos were hardly ever eaten by the Portuguese, who found the birds hard to eat and very messy. Dutch records concur. The Dutch settlers called it the Walgvogel ("disgusting bird") for the unpleasant taste and texture of the meat. No Dodo bones have been found in the old middens of the Dutch fort Frederik Hendrik.

      Still, I would like to eat one just to add it to my list of animals whose flesh I have made part of myself. So far I have eaten cow, pig, chicken, duck, deer, reindeer, whale, kangaroo, pigeon, cornish hen, and ostrich. I need to eat more!

    2. Re:Well by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 3, Funny
      In all my life, I've eaten no animal meat...

      That's OK. I'll make up for your share.

    3. Re:Well by tomhudson · · Score: 4, Funny

      Still, I would like to eat one just to add it to my list of animals whose flesh I have made part of myself. So far I have eaten cow, pig, chicken, duck, deer, reindeer, whale, kangaroo, pigeon, cornish hen, and ostrich. I need to eat more!

      Just eat a cheap hotdog - you'll be able to add all sorts of organic flesh to your list with every bite.

  4. Double-take. by Captain+Scurvy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Am I the only one who saw "Preserved Doo-doo bones" and thought, "What kind of horrific creature has excrement so large that it needs its own internal bone structure?"

  5. Re:Not what I thought this was by ari_j · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, let me stoke your interest a bit. They found life on Mars long ago, but have kept it under wraps. It's all part of a vast right-wing conspiracy. Apollo 18 was not canceled, it was rather simply rescheduled and sent to Mars by President Reagan. When they arrived, the cosmonauts (American astronauts could not be trusted to keep it a secret, whereas Russians would never be believed when they returned, anyhow) found many fairly recent decaying dodo bird corpses. It turns out that they never went extinct - they were just banished to Mars by Napoleon. But the conservative whack-jobs running our country and all of its media have covered it up.

    I'd like to tell you more, but there's someone at the door.

  6. Re:"To challenge our faith"? More like a flood by Belseth · · Score: 3, Interesting
    It was apparently one hell of a flood given it not only managed to mimic sedimentary layers hundreds of million to billion years old but there were apparently volcanos errupting during the flood since there have been a number of bones found in volcanic ash. Also apparently the earth was really really crowded before the flood.

    Now this flood deal, the science of Waterworld aside, where did all that water go? If the earth has been realitively unchanged in the last six thousand years as they claim where did it go? The water tied up in all the glaciers would raise the oceans a couple of hundred feet. Not even enough to cover the majority of the US. A number of states would even be high and dry. According to the bible even the highest mountains were covered. Everest is nearly 30,000 feet above sea level. Any event that could remove that much water from the surface would sterilize the planet and leave a comet the size of the moon. There isn't enough ground water to account for it either.

    Untruths are easy to spot they tend to be houses of cards with easily found holes. The difference between Intellegent Design and Evolution is whatever holes there are in Evolution they are slowly being filled. They same holes will still be there in a thousand years that there are now in Intellegent Design.

  7. I live in Mauritius. Messy situation recently by simpleguy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I live in Mauritius. There is word that a team of researchers, mostly foreigners, recently-discovered Dodo bones on a dig site at Mare aux Songes. These bones are said to have been sent to Holland without authorisation from some local authorities who deal with issues of National Heritage. It was not known if these remains were stolen or sent abroad secretly.

    Now, at least we know where the remains are.

    Note: Till date, not enough bones have been found to build a complete Dodo skeleton.

  8. Re:Just curious by Big+Bob+the+Finder · · Score: 3, Informative
    Ah! Here we go.

    "Soon Dutch settlers were hopping off ships with their dogs, monkeys, and pigs, and several seasick rats also would scurry ashore at each docking. While the colonists were eating the adult birds, the animals they had brought with them were feasting on the eggs and the young. What could the dodo do? With the exception of its beak, the bird was defenseless. When it tried to run, its big belly scraped on the ground, and it was physically impossible for it to climb a tree to nest out of harm's way. The last dodo on Mauritius was eaten in 1681. By that time a dozen of the birds had made their way to Europe, where one of them became a sideshow attraction in London. Naturalist John Tradescant bought it after its death, had it stuffed, and placed it on the shelf next to his other unusual specimens. The Ashmolean Museum at Oxford acquired the bird in 1683, but during spring cleaning in 1755 the museum's board of directors took one look at the dusty, stupid-looking bird and unanimously voted to discard it. Fortunately, the museum's curator had enough foresight to cut off the head and one foot before he tossed the rest of the world's only stuffed dodo in the trash. The old saying "Out of sight, out of mind" was quite apt in this case."

    That's from:

    http://www.trivia-library.com/c/extinct-animals- the-dodo-bird-part-2.htm

    Because there were no complete specimens, the dodo was thought to be purely mythical. Thanks to some work by a resident of Mauritius, some additional bones were found in the 1850s. Saved from cryptozoology, in effect.

  9. Re:"To challenge our faith"? More like a flood by commodoresloat · · Score: 4, Funny
    Now this flood deal, the science of Waterworld aside, where did all that water go?

    Intelligent flushing?

  10. or maybe not... by TheNarrator · · Score: 3, Informative

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own _correspondent/2255991.stm

    The Dutch, who settled the previously uninhabited island in the early 17th century, referred to the dodo as the walgvogel, or "ghastly bird."
    This was apparently because, no matter which way you cooked it, its flesh was as tough as old boots. However, that didn't stop the colonisers hunting the poor dodo down.

  11. Re:Hello by misanthrope101 · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Enjoy your burn, unfortunately you may not believe in hell but it believes in you. Welcome to it.
    Ah yes, Hell. Created by the infinitely wise, infinitely benevolent God for punishment not just for doing bad things, but for thinking bad thoughts. And in all his benevolence and insight, he gave us complete control over our thoughts, only not.

    You have really made me re-evaluate my stance towards Christianity. Other than a smug, giddy exuberance over the idea of someone else's eternal suffering, you're a great human being. Obviously your faith has worked wonders within your soul. It's eerie how like the Sermon on the Mount your words are--when reading them, all I could see was love, humility, kindness. You, sir, are a Christian.