By XINYI LI|Jan 04,2024
Dr. Hans Nibshan Seesaghur, China Chief Representative of the Mauritius Economic Development Board’s Representative Office in Shanghai, recently contributed a meticulously restored dodo model to the Chongqing Natural History Museum.
The cultural exchange was facilitated by theForeign Affairs Office of the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government.
In response to this notable donation, the Chongqing Natural History Museum has organized an exclusive scientific exhibition titled « The Perishing ‘It’ – The World of the Dodo. » This comprehensive exhibition features restored dodo models, scientific illustrations, historical documentation, and pertinent scientific findings. It aims to resurrect the lost image of the dodo and delve into the universe they once inhabited, offering visitors an insightful glimpse into this extinct species.
Long before the dawn of photographic innovation, the dodo had already vanished, leaving no complete specimens behind. Zhong Jing, the Deputy Director of the Collection Department at the Chongqing Natural History Museum, notes that based on historical portraits and descriptions, the dodo is surmised to have been a large, robust bird incapable of flight, with a dense coat of feathers. Characterized by short wings, sturdy legs, and a cluster of short white feathers at its rear, the dodo also bore a curved, hard beak and small eyes, contributing to its somewhat endearingly naive appearance.
The lifestyle and habits of the dodo remain largely enigmatic, with conjectures drawn solely from historical accounts, paleontological studies, and the behaviors of related species.
A Dutch letter dated 1631 provides rare insights into the dodo’s diet and defensive use of its beak. In addition to consuming fallen fruits, the dodo’s diet likely included nuts, seeds, plant roots, and bulbs. Analogous to its distant cousin, the crested pigeon, the dodo might have also consumed crabs and shellfish, possibly ingesting pebbles to aid in digestion, similar to chickens.
Tragically, the endearing dodo disappeared from the planet several centuries ago. With the last sighting reported by Volkert Evertsz in 1662, no further evidence of the dodo has been found in Mauritius or the surrounding islands. Officially declared extinct in 1680, humanity did not yet understand the concept of species extinction. Despite its brief historical presence, the dodo has left a scant but memorable imprint on human history.
Zhong Jing elucidates that today, the closest glimpse of the dodo’s visage is at Oxford University. For three centuries, the world’s sole remaining soft tissue of the dodo has been preserved in the Ashmolean Museum of the University of Oxford. Among the dodos brought to Europe in the 17th century, the only other extant specimens include a head in the Copenhagen Zoological Museum and a fragmentary skull in the National Museum of Prague, apart from the renowned « Oxford Dodo. »
The meticulously reconstructed model exhibited originates from Mauritius, the dodo’s erstwhile habitat. The exhibition offers a tripartite exploration of the dodo: its enigma, imprint on human memory, and enduring legacy after its extinction. It showcases the birds’ morphological traits, behavioral patterns, historical documentation, textual records, early portraits, the current status of global dodo remains, and their classification. This scientific, systematic, and exhaustive portrayal is designed to enrich public understanding. As the first well-documented species to face extinction due to human activities, the dodo serves as a poignant catalyst for reflection on species extinction.
This exhibition will continue until February 29, 2024. (Photo/Chongqing Natural History Museum)
This exhibition, open to the public for free, was commenced on December 30, 2023, at the Central Hall of the Chongqing Natural History Museum and will run until February 29, 2024.
(Cheng Jialu, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)