The
Dodo :
Dodos
lived on a little island called Mauritius in the Indian ocean. They
were large, chubby birds, a bit bigger than a turkey. Their stubby
wings were too small for flying and their legs were too short
for running. So they waddled wherever they went.
No
people lived on the island. No one ever knew about it until the year
1507. Then the ships began to stop there for water and food.
Dozens and dozens of the big birds were taken aboard ships and used
for food. People began living on the island in 1600s. They too ate
dodo birds. So did dogs and pigs that people brought to the island.
The dodos were easy to find and catch. They had no way of hiding
or protecting themselves. By 1681 there were no dodos left anywhere
on the island. They had all been killed.
Steller's
Sea Cow
Steller's
sea cow lived in the cold waters around the islands off the coast
of Siberia in Russia. It was much bigger and heavier than an
African elephant and it looked like a huge seal. It's skin was black,
thick and tough like the bark of a tree. It was not harmful and it
ate seaweed. They were discovered in 1741. The fur hunters who came
to the islands found the meat of Steller's sea cow very tasty. These
animals lived mostly near the shore and so it was very easy for the
hunters to kill them. Thirty years after they were discovered all
of them were killed.
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