You are now in
Home > Extinct > Asia
The
Dodo :
Dodos
lived on a little island called Mauritius in the Indian ocean. They
were large, chubby birds, a bit bigger than a turkey. Their stubby
wings were too small for flying and their legs were too short
for running. So they waddled wherever they went.
No
people lived on the island. No one ever knew about it until the
year 1507. Then the ships began to stop there for water and
food. Dozens and dozens of the big birds were taken aboard ships
and used for food. People began living on the island in 1600s. They
too ate dodo birds. So did dogs and pigs that people brought
to the island. The dodos were easy to find and catch. They
had no way of hiding or protecting themselves. By 1681 there were
no dodos left anywhere on the island. They had all been killed.
Steller's
Sea Cow
Steller's
sea cow lived in the cold waters around the islands off the coast
of Siberia in Russia. It was much bigger and heavier than
an African elephant and it looked like a huge seal. It's skin was
black, thick and tough like the bark of a tree. It was not harmful
and it ate seaweed. They were discovered in 1741. The fur hunters
who came to the islands found the meat of Steller's sea cow very
tasty. These animals lived mostly near the shore and so it was very
easy for the hunters to kill them. Thirty years after they were
discovered all of them were killed.
