The Cryptid Zoo: Dodo

The dodo is perhaps the world's most famous extinct animal. A flightless relative of the pigeon, it lived on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, and it was one of the first animals that Europeans truly noticed and mourned when it disappeared in the seventeenth century. But some people don't think the dodo is really extinct. There are occasional sightings, including some from the twentieth century. For a long time, Mauritius natives have claimed that a few reclusive dodos are still living in some of the most remote areas. The cryptozoologist Bill Gibbons is the most dedicated searcher trying to find living dodos.

In addition to Mauritius dodos, some people propose that closely related undiscovered species of dodo may live on other islands of the Indian Ocean, namely on Tromelin Island (formerly called Nazareth Island). This idea is based on reports made by Portuguese explorers.

You can find out more about the Dodo from the following sources:

Clark, Jerome and Coleman, Loren. Cryptozoology A-Z. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999. Page 98

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Newton, Michael. Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide to Hidden Animals and Their Pursuers. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2005. Pages 134-135, 171, 258, 373

Wikipedia, The. Dodo