Within 80 years of its discovery, the bird became extinct and research is still on to make out how the bird looked exactly and what it ate. Meanwhile, there have been some accounts by sailors who had visited Mauritius in the 1600s, some drawings, and a few bones exposed in some European museums.
We are lucky enough to have a unique first-ever Mauritian gallery entirely dedicated to the Dodo right at the back of the National Museum in Port Louis. The Dodo Gallery is the first phase of a large scale project. In the first instance, it will house essentially the Thirioux skeleton of the dodo discovered in 1900 by the amateur naturalist Emile Thirioux in the Port Louis region as well as exhibits, dodo bones and fossils of extinct animals recovered during the Mare aux Songes excavations in 2005 and 2006.
In 2005 and 2006, archaeological excavations at the Mare aux Songes site resulted in the discovery of about 4000 bony elements including those of the Dodo. These fossil remains were classified as national heritage. More recently in July 2007, a new Dodo skeleton was discovered in a lava tunnel cave in the south, suggesting that the Dodo was not restricted to the littoral region of the country but on higher lands as well.
During that period a Dutch-Mauritian research team discovered the very first intact layer of bones and botanical materials, including Dodo remains. The material's age is estimated at 2000 to 3000 years and can be seen at the Dodo Gallery. This new find will allow for the first scientific research into and reconstruction of the world in which the Dodo lived, before western man landed in Mauritius and wiped out the species.
The fossil material was excavated at Mare aux Songes, a low-lying swamp area in the dry southeastern part of the island, on land owned by Mon Trésor Mon Désert. So far, approximately 80 sq. feet have been excavated and more than 700 bones have been recovered. All the bones were found in one layer, and, therefore suggest a mass grave.
Bones and speciesThe discovery yielded several Dodo bones, including remains of Dodo chicks and a very rare part of the bird's beak which is exposed at the gallery, only a few of which are known to exist in the entire world. In addition to the dodo remains, bones of various other extinct bird species and indigenous giant tortoise species also form part of the unique bone collection at the gallery.
An interesting part of the exhibits at the gallery is the footage of the excavations that were carried out at Mare aux Songes that allows the visitor to live that fascinating moment. Researchers are seen feeling around with their feet where the water is around three feet deep where a dodo tibia was found. That was the spot where most of the dodo bones were found. As these bones showed no cutting or gnawing marks and had not been burnt, researchers concluded that the birds had lived in the neighbourhood and died a natural death.The gallery will also form part of a Dodo trail from the National History Museum in Port Louis to other places like Mare aux Songes, Frederik Hendrik Museum and Vieux Grand Port where the Dutch first landed.
via accommodation.io
No comments:
Post a Comment