Dodo's tale

considering that a dead dodo has aided researchers in tracking down its family history, coining phrases like 'dumb as dodo' definitely seems to be an unpardonable sin committed by humanity. In an attempt to uncover the extinct bird's family tree, researchers from the University of Oxford in the uk , recently analysed dna from the remains of a dodo. The analysis indicates that the bird branches from the middle of pigeon's evolutionary tree (www.nationalgeographic.com , March 3, 2002).

The dna specimen, which is highly damaged and broken, was taken from the head, leg and foot of the dodo donated to the university's Museum of Natural History in 1683 -- just two years after the last dodo sighting. The specimen is known as the 'Alice in Wonderland dodo' because it is said to have inspired Lewis Carroll's 'dodo' character. It is the world's largest remains of the bird that has achieved a near-mythological status.

The dna analysis confirms that dodo's closest living relative is the Nicobar pigeon, which lives in the Nicobar Islands and Southeast Asia. Other modern relatives of the dodo include the crowned pigeons of New Guinea and the tooth-billed pigeon of Samoa. The analysis further indicates that dodos are part of a group of large island-dwelling birds that spend a great deal of time on the ground.

But why have scientists taken so much trouble to find whether a long-extinct dumb fat bird found on only one island in the whole world was related to the pigeons? "Birds such as the dodos and solitaires often represent extreme examples of evolution. If we want to examine how we, or the life around us, evolved then such animals are very helpful," said Alan Cooper, one of the coauthors of the study. "By examining island birds we can investigate how evolution works, because extreme examples are often the best views of how something functions."

But for all dodo lovers the analysis may not prove to be as worthwhile as expected -- it is not enough to bring the bird back to life or pave way for a Jurassic Park-type reincarnation. "The dna sequencing could not be done as it is so fragmented," said Malgosia Nowak-Kemp, a zoologist and the keeper of Oxford's dodo remains. "But you can never say never."

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