The dodo bird is maybe the most popular extinct animal in the world. With its barrel-shaped body, big beak, and inability to fly, the bird has disappeared decades past but still is found in myths, jokes, and even cartoons. Maybe the most amusing of the modern observations of the dodo bird is in a series of movies called Ice Age, where these birds are bringing laughs and nonsense in an adventure survival tale of friendship.
The Dodo Bird in the Ice Age Movies
The Ice Age films have lots of prehistoric creatures. Like mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, and sloths. They are all stand-ins for actual Ice Age animals except one: the dodo bird. They never made it through the Ice Age. They made it through centuries later.
So why do these birds appear in the movies? The answer is relatively simple: humor.
In the first Ice Age movie (2002), dodo birds are seen in a humorous sequence where they take turns protecting the only watermelon remaining in the times of drought. The dodos instead of using it sensibly, quarrel, get into a frenzy, and lose it in the most ridiculous possible manner. Their goofy and clumsy nature provides fine comic relief during the otherwise dark survival story.
Ice Age dodo birds were so much of a crowd delight that they returned in later movies, always as clumsy, not-so-bright animals who provide humor.
Why the Dodo is Humorous as a Comedy Character
The dodo bird is bound to be found funny due to how it appeared and what eventually befell it.
- Round and gangling body: With its chubby form and clipped wings, it has somewhat of a cartoonish look to begin with.
- Flightless: The dodo was flightless, which was unusual for most birds.
- Extinction: The extinction of the bird due to human actions has been used in black humor and folklore.
On the Ice Age films, their creators exaggerated these characteristics, creating the dodos goofy but clueless characters who consistently get things wrong.
The Real History of the Dodo Bird
While the Ice Age dodo bird is humorous, the real history of the real dodo is sad and even tragic.
Where Did Dodos Live?
Dodos existed only in Mauritius. Which is a small island in the Indian Ocean. The island had no big predators. So the dodo didn’t need to fly. Over time, it became a large ground-dwelling bird that was roughly one meter tall.
What Did They Look Like?
The dodo had:
- A big hooked beak
- Small, useless wings
- Brownish-gray feathers
- Powerful yellow legs
- A heavy, round body
What Did They Eat?
They mainly eat fruits, nuts, seeds, and roots. There’s a theory among some scientists. Which is that they would have eaten small land creatures or shellfish when they existed.
Why Did They Become Extinct?
The first human beings landed on the island in the 1500s. They had brought along dogs, pigs, and rats. They consumed dodo eggs and trashed the nests. Humans also hunted the birds for food, although their meat was not tasty.
In 100 years since discovery by the 1600s, the dodo bird was gone.
The Dodo as a Symbol
Today, the dodo is not only a bird. It’s an emblem of extinction. When we say someone or something “as dead as a dodo,” we mean nothing is ever going back. It represents how man can wipe out whole species within seconds if we do not take care.
Meanwhile, the dodo has become a symbol of innocence and uniqueness. It lived on its island in an innocent and carefree manner without knowing any fear until man came along. Such innocence makes its own demise tragic and irreversible.
How the Ice Age Movies Keep the Dodo Alive
Though dodos never lived during the Ice Age, the movies bring them to life. By turning the dodos into comedians, the movies introduce humans of all ages to the idea of the dodo bird. By far, most kids who watch Ice Age will ask themselves, “Was the dodo an animal?” This interests humans so that they can learn about the real dodo and why it went extinct.
By doing this, the Ice Age dodo bird helps to remember the species. Even in humor, it makes us recall a true history.
What Can We Learn from the Dodo
The story of the dodo, and its silly appearance in the Ice Age films, teaches us many things:
- Extinction occurs quickly: The dodo went extinct within less than 100 years. After the humans had discovered it.
- Animals adapt to fit their environments: The dodo on Mauritius never needed to fly. But while adapting, it was made weak.
- Humans have a big impact on the environment: Our actions will kill or preserve species.
- History is kept alive in tales: Even cartoons like Ice Age remind us of real animals and why they survived.
Why People Still Love the Dodo
The bird had been extinct for centuries. But this bird remains a popular choice when it comes to art, cartoons, logos, and literature. Its unique shape and sad fate intrigue human beings. The Ice Age dodo bird adds some humor to that fate and leaves every other generation curious about it.
Humans adore it as it is different from other birds. It couldn’t fly, it was a bit clumsy. But it was special. In so many ways, this bird symbolizes it’s okay to be different. Even if the world isn’t always going to get you.
The Ice Age dodo bird is not accurate historically, but it helps to keep everyone’s memory of this bird alive. Regardless of how much the movies have us laughing at their ineptitude, actual history about the dodo has us learn about just how delicate life is on Earth.
With comedy and history, the Ice Age dodo bird brings our past to relevance today in a funny way. It shows that although species have become extinct, they can still be able to teach us. They can make us laugh, and create fascination over decades to come.
Next time when you’re watching an Ice Age film giggling over the hapless dodo birds fighting over a watermelon. Remember that hiding behind the joke is an authentic tale of one of the world’s best-known extinct creatures.
