Ho Sibolla ‘Lihahabi Tsa Litonanahali’ Tsa Boholo-holo

HA U eme lebōpong la molatsoana oa Nōka ea Red Deer, ka boroa ho motse oa Drumheller Alberta, Canada, u eme moeling oa mafatše a mabeli a fapaneng. Moo mahlo a bonang teng, likarolong tsohle, ho na le masimo a mangata a koro masaba-sabeng a Alberta. Empa ha u talima tlaase mafikeng ho ea molatsoaneng o ommeng, baeti ba ka nahana ka lefatše le leng le sa tšoaneng le la bona—lefatše la liphoofolo tse bitsoang li-dinosaur.

Molatsoaneng ona o nang le moalo oa lehlabathe le tsoakaneng le mesaletsa ea lintho tsa boholo-holo, ho ile ha epolloa masapo a liphoofolo tsena tse makholo. Batho ba bang sebakeng sena ba bitsa molatsoana ona “naha e bōpehileng ka mokhoa o tsotehang.” Empa baeti, ba banyenyane le ba baholo ka ho tšoanang, baa makala ha ba bona mesaletsa ea lintho tsa khale ea liphoofolo tsena tse makatsang tse kileng tsa phela mona lefatšeng.

Ho Sibolla Li-Dinosaur

Pele ho 1824, motho o ne a sa tsebe letho ka liphoofolo tsena tsa li-dinosaur. Selemong seo ho ile ha epolloa mefuta e mengata ea masapo a mesaletsa ea lintho tsa khale Engelane. Richard Owen seithuti sa lintho tsa khale sa Brithane, sa bitsa liphoofolo tsena Dinosauria, e leng lebitso le nkiloeng mantsoeng a mabeli a Segerike deinos le sauros, a bolelang “mekholutsoane e tšabehang.” Lebitso lena le tloaelehile mehleng ena le hoja li-dinosaur e le mofuta oa lihahabi, ha se mekholutsoane.

Ho tloha ka 1824, mesaletsa ea lintho tsa khale ea liphoofolo tsena e ’nile ea fumanoa kontinenteng e ’ngoe le e ’ngoe. Tlaleho ea mesaletsa ea lintho tsa khale e salletseng mealong ea mafika a lehlabathe le tsoakaneng le mesaletsa ea lintho tsa khale e bontša hore ho ne ho e-na le mefuta e mengata haholo ea li-dinosaur nakong ea histori ea lefatše e bitsoang Mehla ea Li-Dinosaur. Tse ling li ne li phela holim’a mobu o ommeng ha tse ling li ne li phela libakeng tse mongobo. Mohlomong tse ling li ne li phela metsing, joaloka kubu ea mehleng ea joale.

Mesaletsa e mengata ea liphoofolo tsena e teng—ho kopanyeletsa bopaki boo e seng ba masapo empa ba mehlala moo li tsamaileng teng—bo ile ba fumanoa Great Central Plain ea Amerika Leboea. Masaba-saba a Alberta bohareng a fane ka mesaletsa e mengata ea tsona, ho kopanyelletsa le hoo e batlang e le mesohlo e felletseng e 500. Lilemong tsa bo1920, liphuputso li sibollotse masapo a li-dinosaur Lehoatateng la Gobi Asia bohareng. Lilemong tsa bo-1940, liphuputso tsa Soviet Mongolia li sibollotse mosohlo oa dinosaur o bolelele ba limithara tse 12.

Ka 1986 bo-ramahlale ba Argentina ba sibollotse mesaletsa ea li-dinosaur tse jang limela Antarctica. Ho fihlela nakong eo, Antartica e ne e le sona feela sebaka se seholo seo mesaletsa ea li-dinosaur e neng e e-s’o fumanoe ho sona. Pele ho moo, mofuputsi oa Amerika o ile a fumana masapo a dinosaur North Slope Alaska. Nakong ea lilemo tse lekholo tse fetileng, mesaletsa ea li-dinosaur e ’nile ea epolloa libakeng tse ngata hoo ho ileng ha hlaka hore liphoofolo tsena li ne li tletse hohle nakong e fetileng.

Li Phetse Neng?

Li-dinosaur li phethahalitse karolo e khōlō bophelong lefatšeng nakong ea tsona. Empa li ile tsa fela. Mafika a nang le mealo ea majoe e nang le masapo a batho e fumanoa ka mehla e le ka holimo ho mealo ea majoe a tsoakaneng le mesaletsa ea li-dinosaur. Ka lebaka lena, ka kakaretso bo-ramahlale ba fihlela qeto ea hore motho o bile teng ha morao lefatšeng.

Tabeng ena buka Palaeontology, ea James Scott ea bolela: “Esita le mefuta ea pele-pele ea Homo sapiens (motho) e phetse nako e telele ka mor’a ho nyamela ha li-dinosaur . . . Ka mor’a ho amohela ’nete ea hore lefatše le ile la sekama (ka ho sutha ha mobu) mafika a nang le masapo a batho ka linako tsohle a ne a le ka holim’a mafika a mesaletsa ea lintho tsa khale ea li-dinosaur, ’me sena se bolela hore mesaletsa e meng ke ea pelenyana ho ea motho.”

Molatsoaneng oa Nōka ea Red Deer ho na le moalo oa mafika a tsoakaneng le mesaletsa ea li-dinosaur. Ka holim’a moalo ona oa mafika ho na le moalo o mosootho oa mafika a thaba. Ka holim’a moalo oo o mosootho ho na le lejoe la silt le nang le mesaletsa ea li-fern tse fumanoang karolong e futhumetseng ea lefatše, ho bontšang boemo ba leholimo bo futhumetseng. Ka holim’a mealo ena ho na le mealo e ’maloa ea mashala. Ha u nyolosa ho na le mealo e lithollo ea mobu. Ha ho mesaletsa ea dinosaur moalong leha e le ofe o ka holimo.

Buka A Vanished World: The Dinosaurs of Western Canada e bolela hore “mefuta eohle ea li-dinosaur e 11 . . . e khaolitse ho ba teng karolong e ka bophirima ka nako e tšoanang.” Sena, hammoho le ’nete ea hore masapo a motho ha a fumanoa le mesalletsa ea li-dinosaur, ke lebaka le entseng hore bo-ramahlale ba bangata ba fihlele qeto ea hore Mehla ea Li-Dinosaur e felile pele motho a ba teng lefatšeng.

Leha ho le joalo, ho ke ho hlokomeloe hore ho na le batho ba bang ba bolelang hore masapo a li-dinosaur le a batho ha a fumanoe a le hammoho libakeng tseo ho lulang batho ho tsona. Lipono tse joalo tse fapaneng li bontša hore tlaleho ea mesaletsa ea lintho tsa khale ha e hlalose liphiri tsa eona habonolo le hore ha ho motho ea tsebang likarabo tsohle kajeno.

Litšobotsi

Bo-ramahlale ba fihletse qeto ea hore ka bochabela ho Lithaba tsa Rocky tse Amerika Leboea, ho kile haeba le leoatle le sa tebang. Leoatle lena le ne le le bophara ba lik’hilomithara tse ngata, ho tloha Leoatleng la kajeno la Arctic ho ea Mexico. Pel’a lebōpo ho ne ho na le mobu o nonneng le meru e mongobo. Tlaleho ea mesaletsa ea lintho tsa khale tse epollotsoeng e bontša hore li-dinosaur li ile tsa tsoala ka bongata sebakeng sena. Li-dinosaur tse bitsoang li-edmontosaurus, tse nang le molomo o kang oa letata tse ka bang bolelele ba limithara tse 9, ho bonahala li ne li fula ka bongata joaloka mehlape ea likhomo. Mehlala ea leoto le nang le menoana e meraro e bolokiloeng hantle le lijo tse fumanoeng ka meholung ea liphoofolo tsena li entse hore liithuti tsa lintho tsa khale li fihlele qeto ena.

Bopaki bo bong bo bontša hore li-dinosaur li ne li phela hammoho. Mohlomong li ne li tsamaea hammoho, ka lihlopha tsa tse lekholo kapa ho feta. Ho sibolloa ha mealo e latellanang ea lirobe le mahe sebakeng se le seng ho bontša hore liphoofolo tsena li ne li khutlela sebakeng se tšoanang selemo le selemo. Mesaletsa ea masapo a lelinyane la tsona haufi le serobe ‘e fana ka bopaki bo matla ba bophelo ba lelapa le maikutlo a tlhokomelo ea motsoali ho malinyane ka mor’a hore a qhotsoe,’ ho bolela Scientific American.

Kahoo bopaki ba mesaletsa ea lintho tsa khale e epollotsoeng bo bontša hore ho bile le mefuta e mengata le e fapaneng ea liphoofolo tsena. Empa li ne li le joang? Na li ne li tšosa, e le libōpuoa tse khōlō—“mekholutsoane e tšabehang”? Ke hobane’ng ha ho bonahala li nyametse ka tšohanyetso?

[Tlhaloso ea Moo Setšoantšo se Nkiloeng Teng e leqepheng la 3]

Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.: Photo Number 43494