Cervical Vertebra of the Dodo (Raphus cucullatus), Mare aux Songes, Mauritius (subfossil)

This cervical vertebra originates from the Mare aux Songes, the most important known deposit of dodo remains. Cervical vertebrae are comparatively rare, and this example retains the distinctive anatomical features that allow secure identification.

The bone preserves its overall form and structure, with legible openings and contours shaped by the musculature and air sacs of the living bird. The surface shows natural wear consistent with long burial in the Mare aux Songes deposits and shows no evidence of restoration.

The specimen was formerly part of a North German collection of minerals and fossils. Northern Germany, with its major port cities of Bremen and Hamburg, was a historic centre of natural history collecting, through which material from overseas expeditions entered European collections.

A restrained and authentic survivor of one of the most emblematic extinctions in recorded history.