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Didus Collection

The didus, scientifically known as Raphus cucullatus or Didus ineptus, was a fascinating and now extinct bird species famously referred to as the dodo

Background imageDidus Collection: Dodo, Raphus cucullatus, Didus ineptus, extinct

Dodo, Raphus cucullatus, Didus ineptus, extinct flightless bird.. Handcolored copperplate zoological engraving from George Shaw and Frederick Nodders The Naturalists Miscellany, 1792

Background imageDidus Collection: Dodo, Didus ineptus or Raphus cucullatus

Dodo, Didus ineptus or Raphus cucullatus.. Colour printed (chromolithograph) illustration by F. John from Tiere der Urwelt Animals of the Prehistoric World, 1916, Hamburg

Background imageDidus Collection: Didus ineptus, dodo design

Didus ineptus, dodo design
Drawing 51 Vol 2 by Alfred Waterhouse for the ornamentation of the panel over doorway in the South East gallery, first floor of the Natural History Museum, London, 1875

Background imageDidus Collection: Wood engraving of Roelandt Saverys painting of the dodo

Wood engraving of Roelandt Saverys painting of the dodo
Painting of the dodo and other ducks, macaws and rail drawn from life by Dutch artist Roelandt Savery. Presented to the British Museum by George Edwards, 1759

Background imageDidus Collection: Skull, jaw and sclerotic bones of dodo

Skull, jaw and sclerotic bones of dodo
Back view of skull, upper and lower view of lower jaw, inner view of jaw, and circle of sclerotic bones in the dodo. Lithograph from Hugh Edwin Strickland and Alexander Gordon Melvilles The Dodo

Background imageDidus Collection: Upper and lower views of the skull of a dodo

Upper and lower views of the skull of a dodo. Lithograph from Hugh Edwin Strickland and Alexander Gordon Melvilles The Dodo and its Kindred, London, Reeve, Benham and Reeve, 1848

Background imageDidus Collection: Side view of the skull of a dodo

Side view of the skull of a dodo. Lithograph from Hugh Edwin Strickland and Alexander Gordon Melvilles The Dodo and its Kindred, London, Reeve, Benham and Reeve, 1848

Background imageDidus Collection: Eagle, Aquila chrysaetos, and extinct dodo, Raphus cucullatus

Eagle, Aquila chrysaetos, and extinct dodo, Raphus cucullatus. Woodblock engraving from an English translation of
FLO4597334 Eagle, Aquila chrysaetos, and extinct dodo, Raphus cucullatus. Woodblock engraving from an English translation of Buffon's Natural History, London, circa 1800.; (add.info.: Eagle)

Background imageDidus Collection: Dodo, Raphus cucullatus or Didus ineptus. Extinct flightless bird

Dodo, Raphus cucullatus or Didus ineptus. Extinct flightless bird. Illustration copied from George Edwards
FLO4640591 Dodo, Raphus cucullatus or Didus ineptus. Extinct flightless bird. Illustration copied from George Edwards. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from " The Naturalist's Pocket

Background imageDidus Collection: Facsimile of a picture of a dodo by Roelandt

Facsimile of a picture of a dodo by Roelandt Savery in the Royal Gallery, Berlin. Handcoloured lithograph by CDM from Hugh Edwin Strickland and Alexander Gordon Melvilles The Dodo and its Kindred

Background imageDidus Collection: Dodo, Raphus cucullatus, extinct flightless bird (formerly Didus ineptus)

Dodo, Raphus cucullatus, extinct flightless bird (formerly Didus ineptus). Handcoloured copperplate engraving by an unknown artist from William Smellie's Natural History, Thomas Kelly, London

Background imageDidus Collection: Tibia and metatarsus of the extinct Rodrigues

Tibia and metatarsus of the extinct Rodrigues solitaire, Pezophaps solitaria, in the Parisian Collection and Andersonian Collection

Background imageDidus Collection: Cranium and sternum of the extinct Rodrigues

Cranium and sternum of the extinct Rodrigues
Cranium 1-4 and part of sternum 5, 6 of the extinct Rodrigues solitaire, Pezophaps solitaria, in the Parisian Collection. Lithograph by Joseph Dinkel after Werner from Hugh Edwin Strickland

Background imageDidus Collection: Metatarsus and toes of the dodo and various pigeons

Metatarsus and toes of the dodo and various pigeons
Metatarsus and toes of the dodo, Raphus cucullatus 1-5, foot of the yellow-footed green pigeon, Treron chlorigaster 6, stock dove, Columba oenas 7 and partridge pigeon, Geophaps smithii 8

Background imageDidus Collection: Metatarsus bones of the dodo, crowned pigeon

Metatarsus bones of the dodo, crowned pigeon
Metatarsus bones of the dodo, Raphus cucullatus 1-10, crowned pigeon, Goura coronata 12-17, tooth-billed pigeon, Didunculus strigirostris 18, 19 and other birds

Background imageDidus Collection: First published illustration of a dodo by van Neck, 1601

First published illustration of a dodo by van Neck, 1601
Facsimile of plate 2 of Jacob Cornelis van Necks Voyage, 1601, showing Dutch sailors fishing on Mauritius, dodo bird (2) and extinct giant tortoise, Cylindras inepta (1)

Background imageDidus Collection: Downy woodpecker, Dryobates pubescens

Downy woodpecker, Dryobates pubescens. Chromolithograph after an illustration by Edwin Sheppard from Thomas George Gentrys Nests and Eggs of the Birds of the United States, J.A

Background imageDidus Collection: Dodo, Raphus cucullatus, extinct flightless bird (formerly Didus ineptus)

Dodo, Raphus cucullatus, extinct flightless bird (formerly Didus ineptus)
FLO4695801 Dodo, Raphus cucullatus, extinct flightless bird (formerly Didus ineptus). Handcoloured copperplate engraving by an unknown artist from William Smellies Natural History

Background imageDidus Collection: Dodo, Raphus cucullatus, extinct flightless bird

Dodo, Raphus cucullatus, extinct flightless bird. Handcoloured copperplate engraving by J. Pass from Ebenezer Siblys Universal System of Natural History, London, 1801

Background imageDidus Collection: Extinct flightless bird, the Dodo, Raphus cucullatus

Extinct flightless bird, the Dodo, Raphus cucullatus. Woodblock engraving from Die Illustrirte Welt (The Illustrated World), Stuttgart, Germany, 1857

Background imageDidus Collection: Hooded dodo, Raphus cucullatus, extinct flightless bird

Hooded dodo, Raphus cucullatus, extinct flightless bird. Handcoloured copperplate engraving by John Pass after George Edwards from John Wilkes Encyclopedia Londinensis, London, 1803

Background imageDidus Collection: Humerus and femur of the extinct Rodrigues

Humerus and femur of the extinct Rodrigues solitaire, Pezophaps solitaria, in the Parisian Collection and Andersonian Collection

Background imageDidus Collection: Skulls of pigeons and dodo

Skulls of pigeons and dodo
Skulls of tooth-billed pigeon, Didunculus strigirostris, critically endangered 1, 7, 8, 9, 10 dodo, Raphus cucullatus 2, yellow-footed green pigeon, Treron chlorigaster 3, 6, crowned pigeon

Background imageDidus Collection: Side, front and back of the leg of a dodo

Side, front and back of the leg of a dodo in the British Museum. Illustration drawn and lithographed by Joseph Dinkel from Hugh Edwin Strickland and Alexander Gordon Melvilles The Dodo

Background imageDidus Collection: Head of a dodo in the Ashmolean Museum

Head of a dodo in the Ashmolean Museum
Side view of the head of a dodo in the Ashmolean Museum and restored head in the British Museum. Illustration drawn and lithographed by Joseph Dinkel from Hugh Edwin Strickland

Background imageDidus Collection: Willem Bontekoes illustration of the dodo

Willem Bontekoes illustration of the dodo
Willem Ysbrantsz Bontekoes illustration of the dodo, from his Voyage, 1646. Wood engraving from Hugh Edwin Strickland and Alexander Gordon Melvilles The Dodo and its Kindred, London, Reeve

Background imageDidus Collection: Rodrigues solitaire, Pezophaps solitaria

Rodrigues solitaire, Pezophaps solitaria
Illustration of a Rodrigues solitaire, Pezophaps solitaria, by Francois Leguat from his Voyage, published 1708. Wood engraving from Hugh Edwin Strickland and Alexander Gordon Melvilles The Dodo

Background imageDidus Collection: Rodrigues solitaire and domed Rodrigues giant

Rodrigues solitaire and domed Rodrigues giant
Rodrigues solitaire, Pezophaps solitaria and domed Rodrigues giant tortoise, Cylindraspis peltastes, both extinct. Facsimile of the frontispiece of Francois Leguats Voyage, published 1708

Background imageDidus Collection: Facsimile of Roelandt Saverys picture of

Facsimile of Roelandt Saverys picture of the dodo in the Bellvedere at Vienna, 1628. Handcoloured lithograph after Roelandt Savery from Hugh Edwin Strickland

Background imageDidus Collection: Willem Pisos illustration of the dodo, 1658

Willem Pisos illustration of the dodo, 1658
Willem Pisos illustration of the dodo, from Gulielmi Pisonis Medici Amstelaedamensis, 1658. Wood engraving from Hugh Edwin Strickland and Alexander Gordon Melvilles The Dodo and its Kindred, London

Background imageDidus Collection: Title page with Willem Ysbrantsz Bontekoe s

Title page with Willem Ysbrantsz Bontekoe s
Title page with Willem Ysbrantsz Bontekoes illustration of the dodo, Raphus cucullatus, 1648. Title page from Hugh Edwin Strickland and Alexander Gordon Melvilles The Dodo and its Kindred, London

Background imageDidus Collection: Head and tail of the dodo by various artists

Head and tail of the dodo by various artists
Head and tail of the dodo by Roelandt Savery, Johan Neiuhof, Jacob de Bondt, Ludwig Schmoor von Carolsfeld, G. Krause, etc. Heliotype by Van Leer from Dr

Background imageDidus Collection: Images of a male Rodrigues solitaire, Pezophaps

Images of a male Rodrigues solitaire, Pezophaps solitaria, from Francois Lequats Voyages, 1708. Heliotype by Van Leer from Dr. Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans Dodo Studies, Amsterdam, Johannes Muller, 1917

Background imageDidus Collection: White dodos by Johann Walther and Jacob Hoefnagel

White dodos by Johann Walther and Jacob Hoefnagel
White dodo by Johann Walther, female, 1657 (27) and white dodo by Jacob Hoefnagel, young male, 1609 (28). Heliotype by Van Leer from Dr

Background imageDidus Collection: White dodo heads by Cornelis Saftleven and Jan Goeimare

White dodo heads by Cornelis Saftleven and Jan Goeimare
White dodo head by Cornelis Saftleven, male, 1637, after a painting in the Museum Boijmans of Rotterdam (25), and white dodo head by Jan Goeimare, male, 1853 (26). Heliotype by Van Leer from Dr

Background imageDidus Collection: White dodo and duck by Pieter Withoos

White dodo and duck by Pieter Withoos
White dodo I by Pieter Withoos, female, Illustrated London News, 1856 (23) and white dodo II by Pieter Withoos, female, Transactions of the Zoological Society of London, 1863 (24)

Background imageDidus Collection: White dodo II by Pieter Holsteyn, female, 1638

White dodo II by Pieter Holsteyn, female, 1638. Heliotype by Van Leer from Dr. Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans Dodo Studies, Amsterdam, Johannes Muller, 1917

Background imageDidus Collection: White dodo I by Pieter II Holsteyn, female, 1638

White dodo I by Pieter II Holsteyn, female, 1638. Heliotype by Van Leer from Dr. Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans Dodo Studies, Amsterdam, Johannes Muller, 1917

Background imageDidus Collection: Copies of the white dodo by Salomon Savery

Copies of the white dodo by Salomon Savery, male: Michiel de Groot, 1682 (17), Gijsbert de Groot, 1724 (18), Isaak van der Putte, 1733 (19) and Jan Morterre, 1757 (20). Heliotype by Van Leer from Dr

Background imageDidus Collection: 17th century copies of the white dodo by Salomon

17th century copies of the white dodo by Salomon Savery, male: Gerrit van Goedesberg, 1662 (13), Joost Hartgers, 1650 (14), Abraham and Jan de Wees, 1651 (15) and Gijsbert Sijbes, 1651 (16)

Background imageDidus Collection: Dodos and parrots from Willem van West-Zanen s

Dodos and parrots from Willem van West-Zanen s
Dodos and parrots hunted in Mauritius 1602 from Willem van West-Zanens Journal, and copies of Salomon Saverys white dodo by Abraham and Jan de Wees, 1651 and Gillis Joosten Saeghman, 1665

Background imageDidus Collection: Dodos by Adriaen van de Venne and Gillis de Hondecoeter

Dodos by Adriaen van de Venne and Gillis de Hondecoeter
Dodo by Adriaen van de Venne, male, 1626 (8) and dodo by Gillis de Hondecoeter (Honderkoeter), male, 1626 (9). Heliotype by Van Leer from Dr

Background imageDidus Collection: Dodo of Iohan Theodor and Iohan Israel de

Dodo of Iohan Theodor and Iohan Israel de Bry, female, 1601, and copy in the Florence Codex, female, circa 1703. Heliotype by Van Leer from Dr

Background imageDidus Collection: Dodos of Jacob Cornelisz van Neck and Carolus Clusius

Dodos of Jacob Cornelisz van Neck and Carolus Clusius
Dodo of Jacob Cornelisz van Neck, female, 1601 (4) and Dodo of Carolus Clusius, female, 1605 (5). Heliotype by Van Leer from Dr

Background imageDidus Collection: Dodo of the Scotch House, Veere, 1561

Dodo of the Scotch House, Veere, 1561, and dodo from the Florence Codex, circa 1703. Heliotype by Van Leer from Dr. Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans Dodo Studies, Amsterdam, Johannes Muller, 1917

Background imageDidus Collection: Dodo statue on the Scotch House in Veere

Dodo statue on the Scotch House in Veere
Dodo statue on the facade of the Scotch House in Veere, the Netherlands, 1561. Heliotype by Van Leer from Dr. Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans Dodo Studies, Amsterdam, Johannes Muller, 1917

Background imageDidus Collection: Dodo head, Raphus cucullatus, Didus ineptus

Dodo head, Raphus cucullatus, Didus ineptus.. Handcolored copperplate zoological engraving from George Shaw and Frederick Nodders The Naturalists Miscellany, 1792

Background imageDidus Collection: Leg of a dodo, Raphus cucullatus, Didus ineptus

Leg of a dodo, Raphus cucullatus, Didus ineptus, extinct flightless bird.. Handcolored copperplate zoological engraving from George Shaw and Frederick Nodders The Naturalists Miscellany, 1792



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The didus, scientifically known as Raphus cucullatus or Didus ineptus, was a fascinating and now extinct bird species famously referred to as the dodo. This unique creature captivates our imagination with its peculiar appearance and unfortunate demise. Exploring the remains of this flightless bird reveals intriguing details about its anatomy. The skull, jaw, and sclerotic bones of the dodo provide valuable insights into its structure and feeding habits. Studying both upper and lower views of the skull allows scientists to reconstruct its facial features with precision. A side view showcases the distinct shape that made it instantly recognizable. Artistic depictions have played a crucial role in preserving our understanding of this enigmatic creature. Wood engravings like Roelandt Saverys' painting immortalize the dodo's image for future generations to admire. A facsimile picture by Roelandt further transports us back in time, offering a glimpse into what these birds might have looked like in their natural habitat. While primarily associated with Mauritius, another island called Rodrigues also housed an extinct species related to the dodo. Discovering tibiae, metatarsi, craniums, sternums, and toes from both these birds sheds light on their evolutionary history within the pigeon family. One of the earliest illustrations ever published featuring a dodo dates back to 1601 by van Neck—a testament to humanity's fascination with this remarkable creature throughout history. Although we can only marvel at these remnants today due to their extinction centuries ago, studying them continues to deepen our understanding of Earth's diverse past. The didus serves as a poignant reminder of how fragile life can be and motivates us to protect other vulnerable species still roaming our planet today.