Composite skeleton of Dodo bird to be auctioned
Posted November 17, 2016 6:00 am
LONDON (AP) - A dodo skeleton is about to take flight - at least at an auction.
Summers Place Auctions is selling what it describes as a rare composite skeleton of a dodo bird, a creature once found on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.
Sailors hunted the dodo into extinction in the 17th century and it has come to symbolize the harsh impact man can have on the world's ecosystem. The bird's name recognition was enhanced by Lewis Carroll, who included a dodo in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."
Auction house director Rupert van der Werff says the guide price for the skeleton to be auctioned Tuesday in Billinghurst is estimated to be between 300,000-500,000 pounds ($373,630 to $622,780) and that interest is high.
A staff member holds a duster as she poses for photographs with a Dodo skeleton, Raphus cucullatus, from Mauritius at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. The skeleton from the species extinct since the 17th century is the first to come up for sale in 100 years and is estimated to fetch upto 500,000 pounds ($624,445 or 581,546 euro) in the "Evolution" sale on November 22. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
The Associated Press
A staff member poses for photographs with a Dodo skeleton, Raphus cucullatus, from Mauritius at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. The skeleton from the species extinct since the 17th century is the first to come up for sale in 100 years and is estimated to fetch upto 500,000 pounds ($624,445 or 581,546 euro) in the "Evolution" sale on November 22. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
The Associated Press
A staff member poses for photographs with a Dodo skeleton, Raphus cucullatus, from Mauritius at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. The skeleton from the species extinct since the 17th century is the first to come up for sale in 100 years and is estimated to fetch up to 500,000 pounds ($624,445 or 581,546 euro) in the "Evolution" sale on November 22. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
The Associated Press
A Dodo skeleton, Raphus cucullatus, from Mauritius is displayed at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. The skeleton from the species extinct since the 17th century is the first to come up for sale in 100 years and is estimated to fetch up to 500,000 pounds ($624,445 or 581,546 euro) in the "Evolution" sale on November 22. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
The Associated Press
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