“Umwami izuru?”. Iri niryo zina ryahawe hadrosaur iherutse kuvumburwa hamwe nizina rya siyansi Rhinorex condrupus. Yashakishije ibimera bya Late Cretaceous hashize imyaka miriyoni 75.
Bitandukanye na hadrosaurs, Rhinorex ntabwo yari ifite igufwa cyangwa inyama kumutwe. Ahubwo, yakoreshaga izuru rinini. Kandi, byavumbuwe bitari ahantu h'urutare nk'abandi hadrosaurs ahubwo muri kaminuza ya Brigham Young University ku isanduku iri mucyumba cy'inyuma.
Mu myaka ibarirwa muri za mirongo, abahigi ba dinosaur bahiga bagiye bakora imirimo yabo hamwe no gutoragura amasuka ndetse rimwe na rimwe dinamite. Bacagaguye kandi baturika toni z'urutare buri mpeshyi, bashakisha amagufwa. Laboratoire za kaminuza hamwe ningoro ndangamurage yamateka yuzuye skeleti ya dinosaur igice cyangwa yuzuye. Igice kinini cyibisigazwa by’ibimera, nubwo, biguma mu bisanduku hamwe n’ibiti bya pompe byegereye mu bubiko. Ntabwo bahawe amahirwe yo kuvuga amateka yabo.
Ubu ibintu byarahindutse. Bamwe mu bahanga mu bya paleontologue bavuga ko siyanse ya dinosaur iri mu buzima bushya bwa kabiri. Icyo bashaka kuvuga nuko hafatwa uburyo bushya kugirango ubone ubumenyi bwimbitse mubuzima nigihe cya dinosaurs.
Bumwe muri ubwo buryo bushya ni ukureba gusa ibimaze kuboneka, nkuko byagenze kuri Rhinorex.
Mu myaka ya za 90, ibisigazwa bya Rhinorex byashyizwe muri kaminuza ya Brigham Young. Muri icyo gihe, abahanga mu bya paleontologue bibanze ku ruhu rwabonetse ku magufwa ya hadrosaur, hasigara igihe gito ku gihanga cyavumbuwe kikiri mu rutare. Hanyuma, abashakashatsi babiri ba postdoctoral bahisemo kureba igihanga cya dinosaur. Nyuma yimyaka ibiri, Rhinorex yavumbuwe. Abahanga mu bya paleontologue batangaga urumuri rushya kubikorwa byabo.
Rhinorex yari yaracukuwe mu gace ka Utah kitwa Neslen. Abahanga mu bumenyi bwa geologiya bari bafite ishusho isobanutse neza yikibanza cya Neslen. Wari ubuturo bwa estuarine, ikibaya kinini cyane aho amazi meza n'umunyu bivanze hafi yinkombe yinyanja ya kera. Ariko imbere, ibirometero 200, ubutaka bwari butandukanye cyane. Izindi hadrosaurs, ubwoko bwuzuye, zacukuwe imbere. Kuberako abahanga mu bya palenontologiste batigeze basuzuma skeleti yuzuye ya Neslen, bakekaga ko nayo yari hadrosaur. Kubera icyo gitekerezo, hafashwe umwanzuro ko hadrosaurs zose zifunze zishobora gukoresha umutungo wimbere hamwe na estuarine. Abashakashatsi ba palenotologue bongeye kubisuzuma ni bwo Rhinorex.
Kimwe nigice cya puzzle kigwa mumwanya, kuvumbura ko Rhinorex yari ubwoko bushya bwubuzima bwa Late Cretaceous. Kubona “King Nose” byerekanaga ko amoko atandukanye ya hadrosaurs yahinduwe kandi ahinduka kugirango yuzuze ahantu hatandukanye h’ibidukikije.
Iyo urebye neza ibisigazwa by’ibimera biri mu bubiko bwuzuye ivumbi, abahanga mu bya paleontologue barimo kubona amashami mashya y’igiti cya dinosaur.
——— Kuva kuri Dan Risch
Igihe cyo kohereza: Gashyantare-01-2023