Revision-English Grade IV READING COMPREHENSION The dodo, was a turkey-sized flightless bird that went extinct around 1681. This bird lived in rainforests on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean (near the island of Madagascar, off the southeastern coast of Africa). The dodo had a large body, stubby wings, a small, curved tail, short legs, and a large beak. No complete specimens of the dodo were ever preserved; only some examples of the head and feet were saved. It may have weighed up to about 50 pounds (23 kg). Females laid a single egg in each clutch. The nest was located on the ground (and quite vulnerable to predators). The dodo ate ripe fruit that fell to the ground, eating the fruit of the Calvaria tree, often called the dodo tree. This long-living tree is now in danger of extinction since it depended on the dodo for its own reproduction; its seed can only germinate (sprout) after going through the digestive system of the dodo (the seed has a very thick coating). Scientists have found that turkeys have a similar digestive system to that of the dodo, and can stand in for the dodo in processing the seeds, perhaps saving the dodo tree.
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Transcript
Revision-English
Grade IV
READING COMPREHENSION
The dodo, was a turkey-sized flightless bird that went extinct around 1681. This bird
lived in rainforests on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean (near the island of
Madagascar, off the southeastern coast of Africa).
The dodo had a large body, stubby wings, a small, curved tail, short legs, and a large
beak. No complete specimens of the dodo were ever preserved; only some examples
of the head and feet were saved. It may have weighed up to about 50 pounds (23 kg).
Females laid a single egg in each clutch. The nest was located on the ground (and
quite vulnerable to predators).
The dodo ate ripe fruit that fell to the ground, eating the fruit of the Calvaria tree,
often called the dodo tree. This long-living tree is now in danger of extinction since
it depended on the dodo for its own reproduction; its seed can only germinate
(sprout) after going through the digestive system of the dodo (the seed has a very
thick coating). Scientists have found that turkeys have a similar digestive system to
that of the dodo, and can stand in for the dodo in processing the seeds, perhaps saving