The Dodo and the Red Hen, A Saga of Extinction, Misunderstanding, and Name Transfer: A Review

The Dodo and the Red Hen, A Saga of Extinction, Misunderstanding, and Name Transfer: A Review

The chronology of observations of two extinct flightless birds in 17th century Mauritius, the dodo (<i>Raphus cucullatus)</i> and the red hen (<i>Aphanapteryx bonasia)</i>, and what names or descriptions were used for them, is re-examined. It was concluded that the balance of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Anthony S. Cheke, Jolyon C. Parish
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-02-01
Series:Quaternary
Subjects:
<i>raphus cucullatus</i>
<i>aphanapteryx bonasia</i>
mauritius
17th century
dutch
pigs
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/3/1/4
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spelling doaj-e24d61e19d834fa1aec23d3891ac38902020-11-25T00:36:20ZengMDPI AGQuaternary2571-550X2020-02-0131410.3390/quat3010004quat3010004The Dodo and the Red Hen, A Saga of Extinction, Misunderstanding, and Name Transfer: A ReviewAnthony S. Cheke0Jolyon C. Parish1139 Hurst St., Oxford OX4 1HE, UKTy Graig, Aberbanc, Llandysul, Ceredigion, Wales SA44 5NP, UKThe chronology of observations of two extinct flightless birds in 17th century Mauritius, the dodo (<i>Raphus cucullatus)</i> and the red hen (<i>Aphanapteryx bonasia)</i>, and what names or descriptions were used for them, is re-examined. It was concluded that the balance of probabilities is strongly against birds called <i>dodaarsen</i> without descriptions in the 1680s being dodos rather than red hens. The dodo had disappeared earlier due to predation by pigs, but a hiatus in settlement broke observational continuity, yet folklore preserved the name and transferred it to the red hen. The dodo&#8217;s extinction thus happened unobserved.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/3/1/4<i>raphus cucullatus</i><i>aphanapteryx bonasia</i>mauritius17th centurydutchpigs
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Anthony S. Cheke
Jolyon C. Parish
spellingShingle Anthony S. Cheke
Jolyon C. Parish
The Dodo and the Red Hen, A Saga of Extinction, Misunderstanding, and Name Transfer: A Review
Quaternary
<i>raphus cucullatus</i>
<i>aphanapteryx bonasia</i>
mauritius
17th century
dutch
pigs
author_facet Anthony S. Cheke
Jolyon C. Parish
author_sort Anthony S. Cheke
title The Dodo and the Red Hen, A Saga of Extinction, Misunderstanding, and Name Transfer: A Review
title_short The Dodo and the Red Hen, A Saga of Extinction, Misunderstanding, and Name Transfer: A Review
title_full The Dodo and the Red Hen, A Saga of Extinction, Misunderstanding, and Name Transfer: A Review
title_fullStr The Dodo and the Red Hen, A Saga of Extinction, Misunderstanding, and Name Transfer: A Review
title_full_unstemmed The Dodo and the Red Hen, A Saga of Extinction, Misunderstanding, and Name Transfer: A Review
title_sort dodo and the red hen, a saga of extinction, misunderstanding, and name transfer: a review
publisher MDPI AG
series Quaternary
issn 2571-550X
publishDate 2020-02-01
description The chronology of observations of two extinct flightless birds in 17th century Mauritius, the dodo (<i>Raphus cucullatus)</i> and the red hen (<i>Aphanapteryx bonasia)</i>, and what names or descriptions were used for them, is re-examined. It was concluded that the balance of probabilities is strongly against birds called <i>dodaarsen</i> without descriptions in the 1680s being dodos rather than red hens. The dodo had disappeared earlier due to predation by pigs, but a hiatus in settlement broke observational continuity, yet folklore preserved the name and transferred it to the red hen. The dodo&#8217;s extinction thus happened unobserved.
topic <i>raphus cucullatus</i>
<i>aphanapteryx bonasia</i>
mauritius
17th century
dutch
pigs
url https://www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/3/1/4
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