Burbushin da ba kasafai ba na tsohuwar nau'in kare da masana burbushin halittu suka gano

An yi imanin waɗannan karen sun yi yawo a yankin San Diego har zuwa shekaru miliyan 28 da suka wuce.

Dangantakar da ke tsakanin mutane da karnuka ta koma shekaru dubbai. Lokacin da mutane suka fara ƙaura zuwa Arewacin Amirka, sun kawo karnukansu tare da su. An yi amfani da waɗannan karnukan gida don farauta kuma sun ba da abota mai mahimmanci ga masu su. Amma da dadewa kafin a zo nan, akwai nau'ikan kyandir masu kama da karnuka waɗanda suke farautar ciyayi da dazuzzukan Amurka.

Kasusuwan karen da ba kasafai ba na tsohuwar nau'in kare da masana burbushin halittu suka gano 1
Kwankwan kwanyar da aka tono (yana fuskantar dama) na Archeocyon, tsohuwar nau'in kare da ke zaune a yankin da ke San Diego yanzu har zuwa shekaru miliyan 28 da suka gabata. © San Diego Natural History Museum / Amfani Mai Amfani

Wani kwarangwal da ba kasafai ba kuma kusan cikakkar burbushin halittu na daya daga cikin wadannan nau'ikan da ba a dade ba ne masanan binciken burbushin halittu daga gidan tarihi na tarihi na San Diego suka gano. An gano shi a cikin manyan tudu biyu na dutsen yashi da dutsen laka da aka tono a cikin 2019 yayin aikin gini a unguwar Otay Ranch ta gundumar San Diego.

Wannan burbushin ya fito ne daga rukunin dabbobi da aka sani da Archeocyon, wanda ke fassara a matsayin “tsohon kare.” Burbushin ya samo asali ne a zamanin marigayi Oligocene kuma an yi imanin cewa yana da shekaru miliyan 24 zuwa miliyan 28.

Kasusuwan karen da ba kasafai ba na tsohuwar nau'in kare da masana burbushin halittu suka gano 2
Amanda Linn, mataimakiyar paleo curatorial Museum a San Diego Natural History Museum, tana aiki akan burbushin Archeocyon na gidan kayan gargajiya. © San Diego Natural History Museum / Amfani Mai Amfani

Binciken su ya kasance abin alfanu ga masana kimiyya a Gidan Tarihi na Tarihin Halitta na San Diego, ciki har da masanin ilmin burbushin halittu Tom Demere, mai bincike Ashley Poust bayan digiri, da mataimakiyar curatorial Amanda Linn.

Saboda burbushin gidan tarihi na yanzu ba su cika ba kuma ba su da iyaka, burbushin Archeocyons zai taimaka wa ƙungiyar paleo wajen cike giɓin abin da suka sani game da tsoffin halittun kare da suka rayu a cikin abin da yanzu ake kira San Diego dubban miliyoyin shekaru da suka wuce. .

Shin sun yi tafiya da yatsunsu kamar karnuka a zamanin yau? Shin sun zauna a cikin bishiyoyi ne ko sun binne a ƙasa? Menene suka ci, kuma waɗanne halittu ne suka fara farauta a kansu? Menene dangantakarsu da ɓatattun nau'in karen da suka zo gabansu? Shin wannan sabon nau'in sabon nau'in ne wanda har yanzu ba a gano shi ba? Wannan burbushin yana samar da masu bincike na SDNHM da wasu ƴan ƙarin guntun ɓarna na juyin halitta wanda bai cika ba.

An gano burbushin Archeocyons a yankin Pacific Northwest da Great Plains, amma kusan ba'a taba samu a Kudancin California ba, inda glaciers da farantin karfe suka warwatse, sun lalata, suka binne burbushin halittu masu yawa tun daga wancan lokacin a karkashin kasa. Babban dalilin da ya sa aka gano wannan burbushin Archeocyons kuma aka aika zuwa gidan kayan tarihi shine dokar California da ta umarci masana burbushin halittu su kasance a manyan wuraren gine-gine don ganowa da kuma kiyaye yuwuwar burbushin don bincike na gaba.

Pat Sena, wani mai lura da kayan tarihi na San Diego Natural History Museum, yana nazarin wutsiyoyi masu duwatsu a cikin aikin Otay kimanin shekaru uku da suka wuce lokacin da ya ga abin da ya zama ƙananan fararen kashi na fitowa daga dutsen da aka tono. Ya zana alamar Sharpie baƙar fata a kan dutsen kuma ya sa su koma gidan kayan gargajiya, inda nan da nan aka dakatar da binciken kimiyya kusan shekaru biyu saboda cutar.

A ranar 2 ga Disamba, 2021, Linn ya fara aiki a kan manyan duwatsu biyu, ta yin amfani da ƙananan sassaƙa da kayan aikin yankewa da goge-goge don kawar da shingen dutsen a hankali.

"Duk lokacin da na gano sabon kashi, hoton ya kara bayyana," in ji Linn. "Zan ce, 'Oh duba, a nan ne wannan sashin ya yi daidai da wannan kashi, a nan ne inda kashin baya ya kai kafafu, a nan ne sauran ragowar hakarkarin suke."

A cewar Ashley Poust da zarar kasusuwan kuncin da hakora suka fito daga dutsen, ya bayyana a fili cewa wani tsoho ne nau'in canid.

Kasusuwan karen da ba kasafai ba na tsohuwar nau'in kare da masana burbushin halittu suka gano 3
Cikakken burbushin Archeocyon a Gidan Tarihi na Tarihi na San Diego. © San Diego Natural History Museum / Amfani Mai Amfani

A cikin Maris 2022, Poust ya kasance ɗaya daga cikin masana burbushin halittu uku na duniya waɗanda suka ba da sanarwar gano wani sabon macijin kati mai haƙori mai saber, Diegoaelurus, daga zamanin Eocene.

Amma inda tsofaffin kuliyoyi ke da haƙoran haƙoran nama kawai, ƙwanƙwaran ƙwanƙwasa duka biyu suna yanke haƙora a gaba don kashewa da cin kananan dabbobi masu shayarwa da hakora masu kama da ƙwanƙwasa a bayan bakunansu waɗanda suke murkushe ciyayi, iri da berries. Wannan haƙoran haƙora da siffar kwanyarsa sun taimaka wa Deméré ya gane burbushin a matsayin Archeocyons.

Burbushin ya cika cikakke sai wani yanki na doguwar wutsiyarsa. Wasu daga cikin ƙasusuwansa sun yi rawar jiki, mai yiyuwa ne sakamakon motsin ƙasa bayan dabbar ta mutu, amma kwanyarsa, hakora, kashin bayanta, ƙafafu, idon sawu da yatsun kafa sun cika, suna ba da cikakkun bayanai game da canje-canjen juyin halitta na Archeocyon.

Tsawon kasusuwan idon kasusuwan burbushin inda za su kasance suna da alaka da tendons na Achilles yana nuna Archeocyon ya dace don korar ganimarsa mai nisa a fadin filayen ciyawa. An kuma yi imanin cewa an yi amfani da wutsiya mai ƙarfi, na tsoka don daidaitawa yayin gudu da yin jujjuyawa. Akwai kuma alamu daga kafafunsa cewa mai yiyuwa ne ya rayu ko ya hau bishiyu.

A zahiri, Archeocyon ya kai girman fox mai launin toka na yau, yana da dogayen ƙafafu da ƙaramin kai. Yana tafiya a kan yatsan ƙafafu kuma yana da faratu marasa ja da baya. Siffar jikinta mai kama da fox ta bambanta da ɓatattun nau'ikan da aka sani da Hesperocyons, waɗanda suka fi ƙanƙanta, tsayi, suna da gajerun ƙafafu kuma suna kama da weasels na zamani.

Kasusuwan karen da ba kasafai ba na tsohuwar nau'in kare da masana burbushin halittu suka gano 4
Wannan zane a San Diego Natural History Museum na William Stout ya nuna yadda Archeocyon canid, cibiyar, zai yi kama da lokacin Oligocene a cikin abin da ke yanzu San Diego. © William Stout / San Diego Natural History Museum / Amfani Mai Amfani

Yayin da ake ci gaba da nazari kan burbushin Archeocyon kuma ba a baje kolin jama'a ba, gidan kayan gargajiya yana da babban abin baje koli a benensa na farko tare da burbushin halittu da kuma babban bangon bango da ke wakiltar halittun da suka rayu a yankin gabar tekun San Diego a zamanin da.

Ashley Poust ya ci gaba da cewa daya daga cikin halittun da ke cikin zanen mai zane William Stout, wata halitta mai kama da fox da ke tsaye a kan wani sabon zomo da aka kashe, ya yi kama da yadda Archeocyon din zai yi kama.