"Impumlo yenkosi?".Elo ligama elinikwe ihadrosaur esandula ukufunyanwa enegama lenzululwazi iRhinorex condrupus.Yajonga izityalo zeLate Cretaceous malunga ne-75 yezigidi zeminyaka eyadlulayo.
Ngokungafaniyo nezinye iihadrosaurs, iRhinorex yayingenamathambo okanye inyama entloko.Kunoko, yayidlala impumlo enkulu.Kwakhona, ayifunyanwanga ngaphakathi kwendawo enamatye njengamanye ama-hadrosaurs kodwa kwiYunivesithi yaseBrigham Young kwishelufu kwigumbi elingasemva.
Kangangamashumi eminyaka, abazingeli beefosili zedayinaso babesenza imisebenzi yabo ngepiki kunye nefosholo kwaye ngamanye amaxesha i-dynamite.Babegqobhoza baze baqhumisele iitoni zamatye ehlotyeni ngalinye, befuna amathambo.Iilebhu zeYunivesithi kunye neemyuziyam zembali yendalo zizaliswe ngamathambo edayinaso angaphelelanga okanye apheleleyo.Inxalenye ebalulekileyo yeefosili, nangona kunjalo, isala kumakhreyithi kunye nodaka olulahlwayo olukhutshelwe kude kwimigqomo yokugcina.Abakhange banikwe thuba lokubalisa amabali abo.
Le meko itshintshile ngoku.Ezinye izazi ngezidalwa zamandulo zichaza inzululwazi yedayinaso njengefumana ukuvuselelwa okwesibini.Into abayithethayo kukuba iindlela ezintsha ziyathathwa ukufumana ulwazi olunzulu ngobomi kunye namaxesha eedinosaurs.
Enye yezo ndlela zintsha kukujonga nje into esele ifunyenwe, njengoko kwakunjalo ngeRhinorex.
Ngeminyaka yoo-1990, iifosili zeRhinorex zafakwa kwiYunivesithi yaseBrigham Young.Ngelo xesha, izazi ngezidalwa zamandulo zazigxile kwimbonakalo yolusu efunyenwe kumathambo esiqu sehadrosaur, nto leyo eyayishiya ixesha elincinane leefosili ezisele zisematyeni.Emva koko, abaphandi ababini be-postdoctoral bagqiba ekubeni bajonge ukhakhayi lwe-dinosaur.Kwiminyaka emibini kamva, kwafunyanwa iRhinorex.Izazi ngezidalwa zamandulo zaziwukhanyisa ngakumbi umsebenzi wazo.
I-Rhinorex yaqale yombiwa kwindawo yase-Utah ebizwa ngokuba yi-Neslen site.Iingcali ze-Geologists zazinomfanekiso ocacileyo wendawo ye-Neslen yendalo yakudala.Yayiyindawo yokuhlala emilanjeni, indawo ephantsi engumgxobhozo apho amanzi amnandi netyuwa ayexubene kufuphi nonxweme lolwandle lwamandulo.Kodwa phakathi elizweni, kumgama weekhilomitha ezingama-200, umhlaba wawahluke kakhulu.Ezinye iihadrosaur, uhlobo lwecrested, ziye zembiwa phakathi emhlabeni.Ngenxa yokuba i-palenontologists yangaphambili ayizange ihlolisise i-Neslen skeleton epheleleyo, bacinga ukuba nayo yayiyi-hadrosaur ene-crested.Ngenxa yolo qikelelo, kwafikelelwa kwisigqibo sokuba zonke iihadrosaurs ezikrested zinokuxhaphaza ubutyebi bangaphakathi kunye namachweba ngokulinganayo.Kwakungekho de i-palenotologists yaphinda yahlola ukuba ngokwenene yayiyiRhinorex.
Njengeqhekeza lephazili eliwela endaweni, ukufumanisa ukuba iRhinorex yayiluhlobo olutsha lobomi beLate Cretaceous.Ukufumana i-"King Nose" kubonise ukuba iintlobo ezahlukeneyo zeehadrosaurs ziqhelanise kwaye zavela ukuze zizalise iindawo ezahlukeneyo zendalo.
Ngokujonga ngokusondeleyo ngakumbi kwiifosili kwimigqomo yokugcina enothuli, izazi ngezidalwa zamandulo zifumana amasebe amatsha omthi wedayinaso yobomi.
——— Ukusuka kuDan Risch
Ixesha lokuposa: Feb-01-2023