Uma ume eceleni kwe-cycad, noma ubheka phezulu ukuze ubone undlunkulu endiza edlula — wake wazibuza: lezi zimpilo ezijwayelekile zake zabona ukubusa kwama-dinosaur? Ziyizinto eziphilayo "zasendulo" ezihlanganyela iplanethi yethu, "abantu bomdabu" bangempela besikhathi sama-dinosaur. Namuhla, ake sibazi laba "makhelwane bama-dinosaur" abaye badlula amakhulu ezigidi zeminyaka futhi basaphila nathi.
Uhlu Lwasendulo Lwezitshalo
Ama-cycad ayeyizinto eziyinhloko kumenyu yama-dinosaur. Imvelaphi yawo ingalandelwa emuva esikhathini sama-Devonian, cishe eminyakeni eyizigidi ezingu-350 edlule. Iningi lamathambo e-cycad atholakale namuhla asukela kumaPermian, kodwa afinyelela ukuvelela emhlabeni wonke ngesikhathi seMesozoic, kusukela ku-Triassic kuya ku-Cretaceous. Amaqabunga awo aqinile, anamabala kanye neziqu ezicebile ngesitashi kwanikeza amandla amaningi kuma-dinosaur amaningi amakhulu adla uhlaza. Ezindaweni zamathambo e-dinosaur kulo lonke elaseShayina - kufaka phakathi i-Zigong ne-Gansu - ososayensi bavame ukuthola amathambo amaqabunga e-cycad agcinwe eceleni kwezinyawo ze-dinosaur namathambo.
I-Ginkgo iyinganekwane embusweni wezitshalo — uhlobo lwayo, ukuhleleka, umndeni, kanye nohlobo lwayo kuqukethe uhlobo olulodwa kuphela oluphilayo: i-Ginkgo biloba, eme yodwa ngempela. I-ginkgo yaqala ukuvela eminyakeni engaba yizigidi ezingu-345 edlule ngesikhathi se-Carboniferous futhi yasakazeka emhlabeni wonke ngesikhathi se-Mesozoic. Emafosholini ase-Early Cretaceous e-Jehol Biota atholakala eSifundazweni saseLiaoning, amaqabunga e-ginkgo atholakala engcwatshwe kanye nama-dinosaur anezimpaphe nezinyoni zasendulo. Ukusinda kwe-ginkgo kuze kube namuhla kungenxa yokuqina kwayo okumangalisayo: amakhemikhali asemaqabungeni ayo amelana nezinambuzane nezifo, kuyilapho ungqimba lwangaphandle lwembewu yayo luqukethe izinto ezilwa namagciwane. Ekupheleni kwekwindla, lawo maqabunga egolide, anomumo we-fan ayisikhumbuzo esithunyelwa emakhulwini ezigidi zeminyaka.
I-Metasequoia (i-dawn redwood), i-Sequoia (i-coast redwood), i-Sequoiadendron (i-sequoia enkulu), kanye nezinhlobo eziningi ze-cypress zonke zinokhokho abaqondile abake bakhula eceleni kwama-dinosaur. E-Petrified Forest National Park edumile entshonalanga ye-United States, izinkuni ezinkulu ezithambile ziqala emuva ku-Late Triassic—isikhathi lapho ama-dinosaur ayeqala ukukhula khona. Lezi zihlahla ezinde zakha izindawo eziyinhloko zehlathi lapho kwakuhlala khona ama-dinosaur. Ukutholakala kwe-Metasequoia eSifundazweni saseHubei, eShayina, ngo-1941 kwakuphawuleka kakhulu — yabizwa ngokuthi "izinto eziphilayo" ngoba ososayensi babekholelwa ukuthi zanyamalala, ezaziwa kuphela ngomlando wezinsalela.
Igazi Lasendulo Embusweni Wezilwane
Izingwenya zanamuhla, ama-alligator, kanye nama-gharial afana kakhulu ngesimo nangendlela yokuphila nokhokho bazo baseCretaceous. Isibonelo, i-Sarcosuchus edumile yaphila cishe eminyakeni eyizigidi eziyi-110 eyedlule e-Afrika, ifinyelela ubude obufika kumamitha ayi-12 futhi imi njengesilwane esihlaselayo esiphezulu sesikhathi sayo. Isu labo lokuzingela ngokungemthetho emanzini, elihlala emanzini libonakale liyi-"design" ephumelele kakhulu, edluliselwa kancane kancane ngezinguquko ezinkulu zemvelo. Inhliziyo yengwenya enamakamelo amane eyinkimbinkimbi kanye namaphethini ahlukile okusebenza komzimba yizici ezasiza ukuba zisinde emcimbini wokuqothulwa kwabantu abaningi eminyakeni eyizigidi ezingama-66 eyedlule.
I-tuatara, ehlala eziqhingini ezimbalwa zaseNew Zealand, iyona kuphela emele i-oda i-Rhynchocephalia esindile. Leli qembu lalihlukahlukene kakhulu ngesikhathi se-Triassic, lihlala nama-dinosaur okuqala. Izinga lokuziphendukela kwemvelo le-tuatara liye lahamba kancane kakhulu - isakhiwo sayo sogebhezi kanye "neso lesithathu le-parietal" (isitho esizwa ukukhanya) cishe kufana nalezo zokhokho bayo basendulo kusukela eminyakeni eyizigidi ezingu-200 edlule. Ukufunda i-tuatara kufana nokubuka ngefasitela eliphilayo ezihuquzelayo zasendulo zesikhathi sama-dinosaur.
Nakuba zihlala olwandle, ukuba khona kwezinkalankala ze-horseshoe kuyisimangaliso. Ziyingxenye ye-subphylum Chelicerata, okwenza zihlobane kakhulu nezicabucabu nofezela kunokuba zibe yizinkalankala zangempela. Okhokho bezinsalela zezinkalankala ze-horseshoe baqala emuva ku-Ordovician, futhi uhlobo lwenkalankala yesimanje ye-horseshoe lwasungulwa cishe eminyakeni eyizigidi ezingu-200 edlule. Igazi labo eliluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka eliyingqayizivele (eliqukethe ama-ion ethusi) liyigugu kakhulu ekuhlolweni kwezokwelapha. Ngenkathi ama-dinosaur ebusa izwe, okhokho bezinkalankala ze-horseshoe bazulazula olwandle olungajulile - futhi basalokhu bebukeka ngendlela efanayo nanamuhla.
Laba "makhelwane be-dinosaur" bangaphezu nje kwezimangaliso. Bayizingobo zomlando wokuziphendukela kwemvelo woMhlaba. Ngaphakathi kwezakhi zofuzo zabo, izindlela zokuphila, kanye nezindima zemvelo kulele izihluthulelo zokuqonda amasu okuzivumelanisa nezimo okuphila kwasendulo. Ngesikhathi esifanayo, abaningi babo babhekene nezinsongo zesimanje njengokubhujiswa kwendawo yokuhlala kanye nokushintsha kwesimo sezulu. Ukuzivikela kusho ukuvikela ingqophamlando yokuphila eyingqayizivele, esaqhubeka.
Ngesikhathi esilandelayo lapho ulandela imithambo yeqabunga le-ginkgo, noma umangazwe ukubuka kwasendulo kwengwenya, khumbula — uthinta inkumbulo ephilayo ehlanganisa isikhathi sokubusa kwama-dinosaur. Akhona lapha, ehlala nathi, elandisa indaba yokujula kwesikhathi kanye nokuqina kokuphila.
Isikhathi sokuthunyelwe: Julayi-28-2026
