A large flightless bird that once inhabited the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The first records of it were made in 1598; by 1681 the dodo was extinct.

The exact appearance of the dodo is not known. The only records of the bird are from written accounts, but they vary greatly. There are only a few sketches drawn from life and many paintings are just copies of other drawings of the animal.

There is so little remaining evidence of the dodo it was thought to be a mythical creature until the 19th century.

It has since become a symbol of extinction and obsolescence.