Skull of a dodo. 19th-century artwork of a side view of the skull of a dodo (Raphus cucullatus), with the cranium at left and beak at right. Roughly the size of a swan, this bird was heavily-built and flightless. It was found on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean and became extinct around 1681 following the arrival of humans. Its appearance is known only from contemporary sketches and artworks, as no intact skins survive. This artwork is from 'The Dodo and its Kindred' (1848) by British zoologists Hugh Edwin Strickland (1811-1853) and Alexander Gordon Melville (1819-1901). For the external appearance, see C015/4918.