The history of the DodoRaphus cucullatusand the penguin of Mauritius

More has been written about the dodo Raphus cucullatus of Mauritius than any other bird. However, much of the information has been derived from few genuine but inadequate contemporary accounts and illustrations, yet a wealth of assumptions and over zealous mis-interpretation about dodos' ecology and morphology has taken place. Here all aspects of the dodo's ecological history, contemporary accounts and illustrations, importation of specimens and fossil record are examined, and evidence is provided to suggest that many conclusions based on the available data are problematic.