Zoological taxidermist Hildegard Enting has created a lifelike reconstruction of a dodo (Raphus cucullatus).
The dodo, also known as the dronte, was a flightless pigeon-like bird that lived on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Sailors first reported seeing the bird in 1598, and 100 years later it was already extinct. Today, it is an iconic symbol of animal species that have been wiped out by humans. Sailors headed for the island on the East India route and took the birds with them as provisions on long voyages. The main reasons for the dodo’s extinction, apart from hunting, were introduced rats and domestic animals that had been released into the wild, which destroyed the ground-nesting birds’ eggs.
The rare museum specimens of the dodo found around the world are almost exclusively skeletons. Only one head with mummified skin and no feathers is preserved in Oxford. A mummified foot is considered lost. Apart from these relics, the appearance of the dodo can only be reconstructed on the basis of contemporary drawings and paintings. Based on these sources and taking into account current research findings, zoological taxidermist Hildegard Enting has created a life reconstruction of the dodo, which has been on display at the Senckenberg Natural History Museum in Frankfurt since February 23, 2019.
Only a few illustrations and reports from the 17th century describe the appearance and behavior of the dodo. Hildegard Enting has studied them intensively and examined the current state of research. The zoological taxidermist has consulted various sources for different characteristics of the bird. The tail feathers and coloring are based on a miniature illustration by the 17th-century Indian artist Ustad Mansur. In contrast to other depictions, the tail feathers are rather inconspicuous and smaller in size. The strikingly powerful legs and the curved, pointed beak are well documented in drawings and descriptions in the ship’s logs of the Gelderland (1601-1603). Based on written reports, Enting has given the eyes a bright, slightly yellowish glow.
The plumage is very important for the overall appearance of the reconstruction. Marco Fischer, taxidermist at the Erfurt Natural History Museum and owner of the company Bio-Design, has already created a dodo reconstruction for the Erfurt Natural History Museum itself and published a paper on this in 2015 (“Reconstruction of a dodo (Raphus cucullatus L., 1758) with special consideration of anatomy, functionality, and lifestyle” in Vernate 34/2015). This made him a good choice to carry out the feathering work. Marco Fischer’s research into feather structures, also with regard to the birds’ habitat, led him to the plumage of the ear pheasant. The feather samples were so convincing that the ear pheasant plumage he had already used for the Erfurt dodo would now also suit the Frankfurt dodo. Regular comparisons with Enting’s ideas led to the result she wanted.
Hildegard Enting’s reconstruction captivates with the liveliness of its depiction. Her dodo is not depicted as a rigid specimen, but as a lifelike animal captured in motion. Her desire was to create an encounter between the viewer and the object: “When our museum visitors look into the dodo’s eyes and feel that it is looking back at them – then that’s good,” says Enting.
Hildegard Enting was supported by Senckenberg ornithologist Dr. Gerald Mayr, Dr. Bernd Herkner, former head of the museum department at Senckenberg, Marco Fischer, taxidermist at the Natural History Museum in Erfurt, and the sponsors of the dodo, Dr. Claudia Giani-Leber and Dr. Hendrik Leber.