2013/09/23 by Andrew Jackson · 5 citations
Social Sciences · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies #Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
paper · doi:10.1080/08912963.2013.838231
openalex publication_date 2013/09/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Considerable controversy surrounds the extinction date for the dodo (Raphus cucullatus), and the last uncontrovertibly confirmed sighting is ascribed to Volkert Evertsz on an islet off Mauritius in 1662. Nevertheless, both Roberts and Solow (2003), using a statistical technique, and Hume et al. (Citation2004), drawing on Lamotius' hunting diaries (1685–1688), place the extinction date as late as 1690 and 1693, respectively. A well-known account of Benjamin Harry from 1681 seems to have been frequently dismissed as unreliable or anecdotal. Our purpose here is to provide new background information on Harry's scientific credentials that adds considerable credence to his 1681 report and thus adds to the likelihood of a late date for the dodo's demise, in agreement with the 1690 lower bound.