The dodo (Raphus cucullatus), an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Subfossil remains show the dodo was about 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) tall and may have weighed 10.6-17.5 kg (23-39 lb) in the wild. The dodo's appearance in life is evidenced only by drawings, paintings, and written accounts from the 17th century. The first recorded mention of the dodo was by Dutch sailors in 1598. The last widely accepted sighting of a dodo was in 1662.