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Oxford Dodo: World's most famous dodo was shot dead, forensic evidence reveals

The world famous Oxford Dodo was killed after being shot in the head, new research has found.

The mummified skull and foot of the dodo were kept at Oxford University’s Natural History Museum for more than 300 years.

But a team at the University of Warwick used forensic CT scanning to create a digital replica of the skull and discovered the bird had been shot in the back of the head and neck with a pellet.

It was originally believed that the ancient bird was kept alive in a 17th century London Townhouse, but the latest discovery suggests that the flightless bird may have actually lived in the wild.

Forensic analysis of its skull found lead shot pellets which were typically used to hunt wildfowl.

Scientists hope to test fragments of the skull to determine where the bird was when it died.

Prof Mark Williams, of the university's Warwick Manufacturing Group, said: "When we were first asked to scan the Dodo, we were hoping to study its anatomy and shed some new light on how it existed.

"In our wildest dreams, we never expected to find what we did."

The dodo became extinct 70 years ago. It was initially discovered in Mauritius.

The Oxford dodo skull and its foot are the most complete remains of the extinct bird and is the only sample of soft tissue known to exist.

It is believed that the Oxford Dodo was the inspiration behind author Lewis Carroll’s dodo character in Alice and Wonderland.