Could we bring back the dodo?

[spidergoat]

Were they good to eat? I heard they were kind of oily and gross. We probably didn't eat them all. Ships brought rats to the island, which ate all their eggs.

 

[iceaura]

Apparently dodos didn't taste very good, and were emergency food only. The ones killed by humans were mostly killed for fun, if the diary accounts are believed, and the rats probably got the eggs.

They were probably pretty intelligent, as well - most of the one-large-egg crowd puts a good deal of effort into chldrearing and social complexity (compare penguins). They just weren't afraid of strange animals.

One of the hurdles in bringing them back would be finding a related bird capable of handling (or producing) an egg that size. IIRC they were {pigeons, always check }, the size of a turkey, with disproportionately large eggs from that base.

 

[Avatar]

So first we create giant pidgeons and THEN cross them with dodos!

 

[Myles]

So first we create giant pidgeons and THEN cross them with dodos!

That's it. Use the same process used to create large Americans. Feed them hamburgers, French fries and don't allow them to exercise.

 

[orcot]

One of the hurdles in bringing them back would be finding a related bird capable of handling (or producing) an egg that size. IIRC they were {pigeons, always check }, the size of a turkey, with disproportionately large eggs from that base.

That's one of the mayor problems (there are others).
The unheard cave bear would probably make the best candidate because it's genome is already mapped and they are relative close to other bears. Neanderthals are a good candidate for the same reason altough extra problems arise far above biology.
In the end it's probably going to be something like a mammoth or if australia gets back in the game a tasmanian tiger.

Before that other species like the quagga will probably be recreated by selective breeding and minor tweeking
(there resemble their relatives so much that you can hardly call them extinct)
make better candidates

 

[Avatar]

Cave bear would be awesome for any anthropologist or history fan.

 

[orcot]

I found that link
abouth the introduction of extinct species gene in a cell of a living relative.

Makes you wonder chimps and humans are 98% identical that's a difference of 15million genes link

Neanderthals are considerd to be 99,5-99,9% identical meaning their only a difference between 3,75 million or 750 thousand genes makes you wonder if that single 1 procedure made the cell 1 millionth more neanderthal and what would happen if you repead the proces a million time. Perhaps it is already or nearly possible.

To bad none of this data is avaible for cave bears

 

[Spud Emperor]

Here's a quick list of the 27 mammals which have become extinct in Australia since 1788 ( Arrival of Europeans)

Species Common Name Location(s) Comments

Bettongia gaimardi gaimardi Eastern Bettong (mainland) NSW, QLD, SA, VIC
Bettongia lesueur graii Boodie, Burrowing Bettong (inland) WA
Bettongia penicillata penicillata Brush-tailed Bettong (south-east mainland) NSW, NT, SA, VIC, WA
Caloprymnus campestris Desert Rat-kangaroo QLD, SA
Chaeropus ecaudatus Pig-footed Bandicoot NSW, NT, SA, VIC, WA 1950s
Conilurus albipes White-footed Rabbit-rat NSW, QLD, SA, VIC
Lagorchestes asomatus Central Hare-wallaby NT 1935
Lagorchestes hirsutus hirsutus Rufous Hare-wallaby (south-west mainland) NT, SA, WA
Lagorchestes leporides Eastern Hare-wallaby NSW, QLD, SA, VIC 1890
Lagostrophus fasciatus albipilis Banded Hare-wallaby (mainland) WA
Leporillus apicalis Lesser Stick-nest Rat NSW, NT, SA, VIC, WA 1933
Macropus eugenii eugenii Tammar Wallaby (South Australia) SA
Macropus greyi Toolache Wallaby SA, VIC 1932
Macrotis leucura Lesser Bilby NT, QLD, SA 1931
Notomys amplus Short-tailed Hopping-mouse NT, SA 1896
Notomys longicaudatus Long-tailed Hopping-mouse NT, SA, WA
Notomys macrotis Big-eared Hopping-mouse WA 1843
Notomys mordax Darling Downs Hopping-mouse NSW, QLD 1846
Nyctophilus howensis Lord Howe Long-eared Bat Lord Howe Island
Onychogalea lunata Crescent Nail-tail Wallaby SA, WA
Perameles bougainville fasciata Western Barred Bandicoot (mainland) NSW, VIC
Perameles eremiana Desert Bandicoot NT, SA, WA
Potorous platyops Broad-faced Potoroo WA 1865
Pseudomys gouldii Gould's Mouse NSW, QLD, SA, VIC, WA
Rattus macleari Maclear's Rat Christmas Island 1908
Rattus nativitatis Bulldog Rat Christmas Island
Thylacinus cynocephalus Thylacine, Tasmanian Tiger TAS 1936

27 species, all exquisite.
Australia was/is an amazing lanscape of incredible fragility.
Incredibly intricate and isolated environment which has been decimated by introduced species..man, cats,rats,rabbits, foxes and more.

many more species hang by a thread.

I'd love to see some of these species return (fingers crossed).

 

[Bells]

Well, the dodo was hunted into extinction, and if I recall correctly, it didn't have many natural enemies anyway. Certain animals like sabertooth tigers or wooly mamoths could be put in zoos---for example, I don't think a sabertooth tiger would care if it got beef or mamoth.

Actually no. Dodo's became extinct within 80 years of of their discovery. Their extinction did not come about through over zealous hunters. It was actually the destruction of their habitat as well as the animals the Dutch brought with them (rats, cats, dogs) which destroyed their nests.

They did not have natural predators since Mauritius did not (and still does not) have any dangerous animals which could count as a predator. Some were hunted and most probably eaten by the Dutch sailors who first arrived on the island around 1600, but it was the destruction of habitat that was its true downfall.

And you most probably would have better luck with a mammoth than with a dodo, since there are only skeletal remains of the dodo, which may not present with enough DNA.

 

[orcot]

there is still a head (with skin) and a feed preserved besides several bones.

I agree that the mammoth is also a good candidate mostly because of popularity and the willingnis to clone one, ironicly for consumption

 

[Orleander]

....I agree that the mammoth is also a good candidate mostly because of popularity and the willingnis to clone one, ironicly for consumption

??? to eat it? Why would they spend all the money on that just to eat it?

 

[orcot]

I agree that the mammoth is also a good candidate mostly because of popularity and the willingnis to clone one, ironicly for consumption

Okay scrap that last part if you like

 

[Fraggle Rocker]

??? to eat it? Why would they spend all the money on that just to eat it?

Two words: Ja Pan. (It's two words in Japanese.) The people who would let Madam President Hillary drop nuclear bombs on their capital before they would stop eating whale meat.