although it would eventually have to return to the water to prevent it from drying out

2 millones de años atrás) que ha aportado datos morfológicos y paleoecológicos de alto valor gracias a un espécimen excepcionalmente completo recientemente descrito

with the back of the skull greatly expanded and ornamented by large bony spines on the squamosal bones

useful for spotting predators on the open plains where it lived

Raphus cucullatus Hovasaurus although it would eventually haveRaphus cucullatus , commonly known as the dodo or Mauritius dodo , was a flightless bird endemic to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean that became extinct during the 17th century , just over 80 years after the arrival of Europeans to the island. The genus Raphus is currently included within the family Columbidae (pigeons and doves), with the dodo being one of the most notorious examples of island gigantism and accelerated extinction due to