Mark, very interesting facts about the Dodo, they sort of sound like Ostriches. I for one, am glad they didn't fly! I'd hate to have that large a bird fly over, especially since they're related to pigeons! LOL! You know what Pigeons do. Eat, and Well, you know the rest! LOL!Interesting about those dating sites as well. I used eHarmony at one time, and it was quite accessible, using a windows Pc and Jaws. I thought someone told me once, that Match.com used capchas, and I didn't verify that.
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of M. Taylor Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 4:50 PM To: [email protected] Subject: To Singles Seeking Singles Hello Everyone, As many already know, Match.com has an excellent and completely accessible iPhone app. I think I've read on here that the eHarmony app is accessible although I have personally not used it. At present, the Plenty of Fish App, in terms of VoiceOver accessibility, is as dead as the Dodo. Recently, I been exploring the Christian Mingle.com site and have discovered that while they do not have either an iPhone or an Android app, their mobile site has been optimized for both and is totally VoiceOver accessible. You have to join the Christian Mingle.com service on the main site but once done, one can login to the service on a mobile device. The URL for Christian Mingle.com is http://www.christianmingle.com If you go to this URL on your mobile device, the site will detect that you are using a mobile browser and automatically switch to the proper interface. Please note that I have accessed the main site on my Windows PC using ZoomText so cannot speak as to Mac OSX VoiceOver accessibility. Oh, above I made reference to the Dodo bird. After doing so, I did a little research on the Dodo and found out some interesting facts. I will paste these facts after my name. I hope you all are doing well and that you find that special someone you seek. Most Sincerely, Mark Facts About The Dodo Dodo Bird Facts Recent studies are throwing light on new information that contradict the age-old dodo bird facts, that they were overweight and slothful animals that caused their extinction. In fact, scientists consider this poster bird of extinction as the perfect example of environmental adaptation! 'As dead as the dodo'. This expression originated from a bird that became extinct sometime in after the mid seventeenth century. Although, for long it was believed that the species was completely wiped out in the year 1662, more recent reports suggest that the last sightings of the bird were made in 1681. The origin of the word dodo is not very clear. Some believe that it is derived from the Dutch word dodoor which means a slothful individual. However, as per alternative interpretation of the etymology of the word, it probably has origins in a Portuguese word which means 'simpleton'. It is not clear if it were the Dutch or the Portuguese who first saw the bird. However, the first written account of encounter with the bird finds mention in the 1602 journal of a Dutch captain Willem van Westsanen. It is a wonderful example of both, nature at its best to help every organism to evolve and make most of the present environmental conditions, as well as human activity behind the extinction of other life forms. Let us know more about this wonderful bird through some interesting dodo bird facts about its physical appearance, habitat, adaptation and extinction. Physical Appearance The dodo existed when the cameras didn't. So, for long human beings had to depend upon the paintings and written descriptions of this bird provided by the early naturalists, explorers and the 17th century European painters. The paintings by European artists which became more popular than the early drawings, depicted the bird as being 3 feet tall and quite robust. However, credibility of these paintings is now largely doubted due to the trend of exaggeration in depicting animals and birds that was prevalent in Europeans arts during 17th century. Until 2007, only fragments of dodo skeleton were available. However, with the discovery of a complete skeleton by some adventurers in a cave in Mauritius in the 2007, it has now being estimated that the bird did stand about 3 feet tall and weighed somewhere around 44 pounds. As per these statistics, the bird was definitely big, but surely not as overweight as was portrayed by the European painters. The bird is known to have a 9 inch long bill with pointed hook, grayish plumage, yellow legs, small wings and a tuft of small feathers towards its hind quarters. Adaptation The forests of Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean formed the dodo bird habitat. This island was isolated from the rest of the world till human beings reached it in early 16th century. The geographical and environmental conditions of the island provided for extreme evolution of the bird, that manifested in the form of gigantism and flightlessness. It is these two attributes of the extinct bird that gave it so much popularity in the world of evolutionary biology, because extreme evolution is the best illustration of how the forces of nature work. The bird thrived in the island in the absence of predators. They did not need to fly away to escape other animals and they also made their nest on ground. Its diet consisted of seeds and fruits that were abundant on the forest floor. Though these birds are believed to have evolved from pigeons, in absence of any threat and abundance of food, these birds grew big in size and their wings became small. Extinction The dodo birds were perfectly evolved for their environment. What led to their extinction is again the old story, i.e., human activity. They had never been threatened on their native land. This made them lack any caution when they first saw humans. They did not run away from human beings or the cats, dogs and pigs that the earliest settlers brought to the island. This made them easy prey for the animals. Their vulnerability was further exposed due to the fact that they built their nests on the ground. In fact, a number of different types of birds have been wiped out from the face of this earth because they built nest on the ground. Although, it is believed that large-scale hunting of the bird is also one of the causes of its extinction, many scholars today refute this hypothesis. It is because, in many reports of the early settlers and explorers, the bird meat has been said to be tough and not very palatable. But it is for sure it is human activity, either direct or indirect, that is responsible for the extinction of this bird. The Dodo Myth is Busted For long the bird was perceived as an overweight, slow and stupid bird and these traits were used to justify the evolutionary inferiority that led to their extinction. However, new information has been pouring in due to research on skeletal remains of the bird, that have been found lately. These findings have busted a large number of myths about the bird that were believed by us for long. Noteworthy contribution has been made in this field by Andrew Kitchener of the Royal Museums of Scotland. He pointed out, that it is only the pictures drawn by European artists that show the dodo as overweight birds. Although, it is agreed that these birds were large, as per Kitchener, the paintings by the later European artists grossly exaggerated the build of the birds. He focuses attention on earlier drawings (that are logically more authentic), where the birds are shown to be much thinner than they are depicted in the later drawings. Kitchener also studied skeletal remains of the bird with the help of the techniques that archaeologists and criminologists use and produced skeletal patterns that corroborate the thin structure of the birds as shown in the earlier drawings. Using more advanced means of study on dodo bones, it has been concluded that these birds were swift on foot. This finding gains support from some eyewitness accounts that these birds could indeed run fast. Also, their size being cited as a reason for the evolutionary failure of the dodo, has now been found to be erroneous. In fact scientists today believe that it is the perfect example of evolution at its best. The bird did not need to fly away from predators, as the island did not have any animals that could threaten its survival. There was a wealth of food lying around on the forest floor. The dodo birds compromised their ability of flight with that of building storage of fat under their skin, to help them tide through times of scarcity! What better example of evolution could one get? Interesting Facts .Scientific name of the dodo bird is Raphus cucullatus. .Due to lack of data, early research variably categorized them as being related to parrots, shorebirds or birds of prey. However, recent molecular analysis of DNA retrieved from a specimen at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, England, shows that they are closely related to pigeons. In that case, it is being hypothesized that these birds have descended from African migratory pigeons that lost their way and got isolated on the island of Mauritius. .The near extinction of the tambalacocque or the dodo tree is also being attributed to the extinction of this bird. It is believed that the tree seed required to pass through the digestive tract of the dodo to be able to germinate. In the absence of these birds, very few seeds could actually germinate. When passed through the digestive tract of turkeys, the seeds however, showed an increased chance of germination. .The Mauritius Coat of Arms bears a dodo rampant. For long, the history has been sullied by inaccurate accounts of the bird. However, more recent facts show that the avian is the perfect example of evolutionary success and definitely deserves better press than it has got for so long. By Debopriya Bose Last Updated: 9/21/2011 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google Group. To search the VIPhone public archive, visit http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google Group. To search the VIPhone public archive, visit http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en.
