When did the last dodo die?

MaggieG 5

In 1681 in Mauritius. http://www.bagheera.com/inthewild/ext_dodobird.htm My Macmillan Encyclopaedia concurs with 1681. The Hutchinson Encyclopaedia says that the last reported sighting of a dodo was around 1681. Jan 11 04, 12:36 PM

sequoianoir

The last confirmed sighting of a flightless dodo was in 1662 on Mauritius. It is difficult to peg the date of demise for a species since rare individuals may survive undetected after what is thought to be the last sighting "But when a species becomes increasingly rare before its final extinction, it may continue to exist unseen for many years – so the time of its last sighting may be a poor estimate of the time of extinction." Roberts and Solow used a statistical test based on the last 10 recorded sightings by sailors and others to estimate the actual extinction date. Their results suggest the last dodo didn't die in 1662, but was done in 28 years later, in 1690. http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2003/11/19/dodo031113 Jan 11 04, 3:52 PM