Continuing what seems to be Extinct Animal News Week, we have new word on the the most famous of extinct creature, the dodo. This chubby, flightless pigeon is no doubt truly extinct, but scientists have their hands on what no one had ever seen or seriously expected to see - a well-preserved skeleton that will let them analyze the bird's DNA. Since its discoverer (a local man named Fred, immortalized in the nickname given to the specimen) found the skeleton in a cave on the island of Mauritius, scientists have been, in the words of paleontologist Julian Hume of Britain's Natural History Museum, "skipping down the street."
Hey -- that wasn't discovered by a local man, it was discovered by my father, Fred Stone. He was on a cave-dwelling insect expedition in Mauritius when he discovered that skeleton.
ReplyDeleteMore news, his girlfriend Debbie is actually the one who discovered it, but he identified it. By rights the dodo should be known as "Debbie."
There you have it, straight from the (dodo's?) mouth.
Thank you very much for that clarification!
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Matt Bille