The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™
ISSN 2307-8235 (online)
IUCN 2008: T22690059A39188976
Raphus cucullatus, Dodo
Assessment by: BirdLife International
View on www.iucnredlist.org
Citation: BirdLife International. 2012. Raphus cucullatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
2012: e.T22690059A39188976. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.20121.RLTS.T22690059A39188976.en
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THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Animalia
Chordata
Aves
Columbiformes
Columbidae
Taxon Name: Raphus cucullatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common Name(s):
• English:
Dodo
Taxonomic Source(s):
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife
International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International.
Assessment Information
Red List Category & Criteria:
Extinct ver 3.1
Year Published:
2012
Date Assessed:
May 1, 2012
Justification:
This species was found in Mauritius, but is now Extinct as a result of hunting by settlers and nest
predation by introduced pigs. Birds thought to represent the last individuals were killed on the offshore
islet Ile d'Ambre in 1662.
Previously Published Red List Assessments
2008 – Extinct (EX)
2004 – Extinct (EX)
2000 – Extinct (EX)
1994 – Extinct (EX)
1988 – Extinct (EX)
Geographic Range
Range Description:
Raphus cucullatus is known from numerous bones, specimen fragments, reports and paintings from
Mauritius (Strickland and Melville 1848). It was last reported from an offshore islet by Iversen in 1662
(Cheke 1987), and although there was a report by an escaped slave in 1674 and statistical techniques
indicate that it is likely to have persisted until 1690 (Roberts and Solow 2004), it is generally considered
that all references to "dodos" thereafter refer to Red Rail Aphanapteryx bonasia (Cheke 2006).
Country Occurrence:
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Raphus cucullatus – published in 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T22690059A39188976.en
1
Regionally extinct: Mauritius
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Raphus cucullatus – published in 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T22690059A39188976.en
2
Distribution Map
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Raphus cucullatus – published in 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T22690059A39188976.en
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Habitat and Ecology (see Appendix for additional information)
It was mainly a species of the dry lowland forests (Owadally 1979), although possible mutualism with
the upland tambalacoque tree Calvaria major (Temple 1977) suggests that it may have ranged into the
hills (Hachisuka 1953). Evidence suggests it was predominantly herbivorous (Rijsdijk et al. 2009). The
species was flightless (Livezey 1993) and tame (Hachisuka 1953).
Systems: Terrestrial
Threats (see Appendix for additional information)
Due to its tameness and large size it was very heavily hunted for food by sailors (Hachisuka 1953).
Credits
Assessor(s):
BirdLife International
Reviewer(s):
Symes, A. & Butchart, S.
Facilitators(s) and
Compiler(s):
Brooks, T., Khwaja, N. & Mahood, S.
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Raphus cucullatus – published in 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T22690059A39188976.en
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Bibliography
Cheke, A.S. 1987. An ecological history of the Mascarene Islands, with particular reference to extinctions
and introductions of land vertebrates. In: Diamond, A.W. (ed.), Studies of Mascarene island birds, pp. 589. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.
Cheke, A.S. 2006. Establishing extinction dates - the curious case of the Dodo Raphus cucullatus and the
Red Hen Aphanapteryx bonasis. Ibis 148: 155-158.
Hachisuka, M. 1953. The Dodo and kindred birds. Witherby, London.
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2012.1). Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org.
(Accessed: 19 June 2012).
Livezey, B. C. 1993. An ecomorphological review of the Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) and Solitaire
(Pezophaps solitaria), flightless Columbiformes of the Mascarene Islands. Journal of Zoology (London)
230: 247-292.
Owadally, A. W. 1979. The Dodo and the tambalacoque tree. Science 203: 1363-1364.
Rijsdijk, K. F.; Hume, J. P.; Bunnik, F.; Florens, F. B. V.; Baider, C.; Shapiro, B.; van der Plicht, J.; Janoo, A.;
Griffiths, O.; van den Hoek Ostende, L. W.; Cremer, H.; Vernimmen, T.; De Louw, P. G. B.; Bholah, A.;
Saumtally, S.; Porch, N.; Haile, J. 2009. Mid-Holocene vertebrate bone Concentration-Lagerstätte on
oceanic island Mauritius provide a window into the ecosystem of the Dodo (Raphus cucullatus).
Quaternary Science Reviews 28: 14-24.
Roberts, D. L.; Solow, A. R. 2003. When did the dodo become extinct? Nature 426(6464): 245.
Strickland, H. G.; Melville, A. G. 1848. The Dodo and its kindred. Reeve, Benham and Reeve, London.
Temple, S. A. 1977. Plant-animal mutualism: coevolution with Dodos leads to near extinction of plant.
Science 197: 885-886.
Citation
BirdLife International. 2012. Raphus cucullatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012:
e.T22690059A39188976. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T22690059A39188976.en
Disclaimer
To make use of this information, please check the Terms of Use.
External Resources
For Images and External Links to Additional Information, please see the Red List website.
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Raphus cucullatus – published in 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T22690059A39188976.en
5
Appendix
Habitats
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Habitat
Season
Suitability
Major
Importance?
1. Forest -> 1.5. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry
Resident
Suitable
Yes
1. Forest -> 1.9. Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane
Resident
Suitable
Yes
Use and Trade
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
End Use
Local
National
International
Food - human
Yes
Yes
No
Threats
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Threat
Timing
Scope
Severity
Impact Score
5. Biological resource use -> 5.1. Hunting & trapping
terrestrial animals -> 5.1.1. Intentional use (species is
the target)
Past,
unlikely to
return
Whole (>90%)
Unknown
Past impact
Stresses:
2. Species Stresses -> 2.1. Species mortality
Past,
unlikely to
return
Majority (5090%)
Stresses:
2. Species Stresses -> 2.3. Indirect species effects ->
2.3.7. Reduced reproductive success
8. Invasive & other problematic species & genes ->
8.1. Invasive non-native/alien species -> 8.1.2.
Named species
Unknown
Past impact
Conservation Actions in Place
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Conservation Actions in Place
In-Place Research, Monitoring and Planning
Action Recovery plan: No
Systematic monitoring scheme: No
In-Place Land/Water Protection and Management
Conservation sites identified: No
Occur in at least one PA: No
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Raphus cucullatus – published in 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T22690059A39188976.en
6
Conservation Actions in Place
Invasive species control or prevention: No
In-Place Species Management
Successfully reintroduced or introduced beningly: No
Subject to ex-situ conservation: No
In-Place Education
Subject to recent education and awareness programmes: No
Included in international legislation: No
Subject to any international management/trade controls: No
Additional Data Fields
Distribution
Continuing decline in area of occupancy (AOO): Unknown
Extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy (AOO): No
Continuing decline in extent of occurrence (EOO): Unknown
Extreme fluctuations in extent of occurrence (EOO): No
Continuing decline in number of locations: Unknown
Extreme fluctuations in the number of locations: No
Population
Continuing decline of mature individuals: Unknown
Extreme fluctuations: No
Population severely fragmented: No
Continuing decline in subpopulations: Unknown
Extreme fluctuations in subpopulations: No
All individuals in one subpopulation: No
Habitats and Ecology
Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat: Unknown
Generation Length (years): 6.6
Movement patterns: Not a Migrant
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Raphus cucullatus – published in 2012.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T22690059A39188976.en
7
The IUCN Red List Partnership
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is produced and managed by the IUCN Global Species
Programme, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and The IUCN Red List Partnership. The IUCN
Red List Partners are: BirdLife International; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; Conservation
International; Microsoft; NatureServe; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Sapienza University of Rome; Texas
A&M University; Wildscreen; and Zoological Society of London.
THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™